JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: A Good Man's Gospel
by Jawshua
Summary: Jovanni Joestar is an integral member of a gang named War Machine, which is stuck in conflict with the opposing Russian mafia, Supernova. As time passes, JoJo learns that there are Stand users within Supernova's ranks. As if that wasn't enough to worry about, there's a cop that's hellbent on throwing him into prison. July, 1989.
1. Hooligans

Jovanni Joestar could feel his left leg throb as a familiar stinging pain ran throughout it, his amber eyes forcing themselves open – and he would have shielded his eyes from the sunlight if he could, but it seemed that he was too weak to move his arms. Where was he, anyway?

He moved his head to the left of the room, his long blond hair brushing against his neck. If the uncomfortable bed and the hospital gown were not dead giveaways, it would be the room that he was staying in.

Everything was a sterile white, and it unsettled him slightly. The walls, the ceiling, the door, everything that surrounded him was the same color and he immediately grew bored just from the mere sight of it – his ears perked slightly as the door opened.

"Your friend is in here, sir." A feminine voice said, presumably a nurse.

"Thank you darling." a gruff, familiar voice responded, "JoJo, you feeling better yet? You're lucky if I don't kick your shit in for acting like such a dumbass last night!"

"Huh…?" Jovanni blinked a few times as the image of a muscular man with gray hair came into focus. He wore a black leather jacket over a crimson red tank-top, each shoulder having a small spike sticking out of it. On his tank-top were two blades crossing one another. On the top of the shirt was the word War and on the bottom was the word Machine. On his lower half, he had been wearing a pair of black leather pants to match, both of his knees protected by knee pads, the one on the left having the letters R and O next to one another, the right having M and E.

"What, did you hit your head too?" The man continued, snapping his fingers in front of the dazed Joestar. "C'mon, answer me!"

"Oh, hi, Dalimil." Jovanni yawned, cringing as he stretched his sore arms, "Shit, that hurt! I should have taken my time!"

"Hey, don't get distracted, kid!" Dalimil snapped his fingers once more, his loud gruff voice nearly making Jovanni's ears ring. "Do you remember what happened last night? I want you to say sorry for making all of us worry, you asswipe!"

"Uh, can you refresh my memory? I think I got shot in the leg." Jovanni said casually, groaning as he pulled the bed sheet off of his slender frame. "Fuck, can I get out of this damn thing? My back hurts like hell."

"You had the smart idea of running headfirst into a firefight! You took out two of those Russian assholes, but the one you missed got a damn good shot on your leg and you fell down a flight of stairs. I had to take care of him for you!" Dalimil explained, clearly displeased.

"Oh, right." Jovanni nodded, his hand rubbing his chin, "I guess it was a pretty hard fall if it knocked me out. But hey, you had my back, boss!"

"Don't act all chummy with me JoJo," Dalimil snapped, "What you did could have cost you your life and maybe mine too! If Joanne and I weren't there to help, we'd both be dead and in the ground right now!"

"Yeah, but we aren't!" Jovanni responded almost nonchalantly. "Really, lighten up. We didn't die, so don't get your panties in a bunch, old man!"

"Dumbass." Dalimil scoffed. "Anyway, the nurse said you'll be free to go after they examine your leg again. They patched it up easily since it wasn't damaged too badly, but you'll be limping for two or three days."

"Goddamn it, that sucks!" Jovanni whined, running his fingers along his bandaged leg. "Maybe I can get Gabriel to take care of me…"

"You're gonna pull your weight, limp or no limp!" Dalimil barked, which made Jovanni flinch in response. "You better not do something that fucking stupid again or I'll break both of your legs, got it?!"

"Yeah," Jovanni sighed exasperatedly, "I'm not deaf, you don't gotta repeat yourself."

"Good." Dalimil said, turning back towards the door. "I'm gonna be waiting outside for you, JoJo. We got a lot to talk about with the others when we get back to base."

"Alright." Jovanni nodded as Dalimil exited, his amber eyes locking onto the nurse that stepped inside of the room. "Do you think I can stay here for a while longer? I really don't wanna limp around for three days."

"No can do, sir. Sorry!"

"Shit."

Several minutes had passed while the nurse applied a fresh bandage to Jovanni's leg, and he was deemed fit to temporarily use a pair of crutches. Dalimil stood in the lobby, tapping his foot impatiently until Jovanni had arrived in a loose t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

"Alright kid, let's go." Dalimil did not wait for Jovanni to catch up as he walked out of the lobby, leaving the young man to groan as he walked forward with the aid of his crutches. "Hurry up, I don't got all day!"

"Slow down, I can't move that fast you old fart!" Jovanni argued, luckily catching up with Dalimil once he reached his vehicle – which looked rather beat up, as it had several bullet holes on the left door and the rear window was completely shattered.

"Get in the back, someone's already in the front." Dalimil said as he opened the door to the driver's seat, looking at the woman in the passenger seat as Jovanni slipped into the backseat. "I told you he was fine, Joanne."

"I know, I just couldn't help but worry about him!" She replied, looking back towards Jovanni who seemed rather surprised by her presence. "Are you really okay, JoJo?"

Joanne had a rather slim build, having curly red hair that reached her shoulders. She wore a tie-dye t-shirt that had a peace symbol near the stomach. She wore a pair of black shorts, and her eyes are a bright violet.  
"I'm fine, I'm just gonna have some trouble getting around for a few days." Jovanni informed her calmly with a shrug. "I'm still gonna do a lot of work, so let me know if you need help with something."

"Generous as always!" Joanne grinned, complimenting Jovanni who slowly eased into the backseat as the engine roared.

"Is that what you call it?" Dalimil said dryly. "Feels like he's trying to get into your pants or something, so knock it off Jovanni."

"What?! You can't just make an assumption like that, you asshole!" Jovanni bickered, his cheeks flushing slightly. "How did you come to that conclusion?!"

"Learn how to take a joke." Dalimil smirked, driving out of the hospital's parking lot. "Joanne, did you see any of those Supernova assholes hanging around here?"

"Nah, they're probably hiding," Joanne answered with a small grin. "I can't blame them after what happened last night!"

"I wouldn't brag about that, Dalimil wouldn't like that since he's so set on being a hard ass." Jovanni interjected with a roll of his eyes. "What are we doing today, anyway?"

"We got a new recruit," Dalimil started, stopping in front of a stoplight that was shining red. "His name is Walker Porcelli and he came in, practically begging to join this morning. Gabriel searched him for anything suspicious, but all he had was a handgun."

"Just a handgun? You sure he's not a Russian?" Joanne asked suspiciously, staring out the car window.

"As far as I know, he was born and raised in America," Dalimil replied. "If he's Russian, he would have been fucked the moment he came into the complex. Besides that, he had no problem showing us his Stand ability, so I think it's safe to trust the kid for now."

"He has a Stand? That makes five of us, then." Jovanni said, yawning just a moment afterward. "Ugh, my head is fucking pounding and I slept like shit."

"Suck it up, JoJo!" Dalimil yelled. "The day is just starting, so get ready to do some work once we get back."

"Ugh…"

* * *

Thomas Lowell wiped sweat from his brow as the sun's rays beat down on him despite his outfit, which should have provided him with a little more comfort.

Thomas stood at six feet and four inches tall, his bulging muscles almost making it hard for him to find clothes that would fit his muscular frame. He wore a plain white muscle-shirt and a pair of camouflage jeans, his short black hair in the style of a crew cut.

 _Maybe it was a better idea to drive to the market, it's hot as hell out here!_ Thomas thought to himself, groaning in irritation. He was becoming jealous of the people who were driving around the city in their air conditioned vehicles, and he would give anything to do the same, but going back home would be a total waste of time.

It had only been a few months since Thomas had moved to Miami, but he had already seen a fair share of gang violence. He could handle himself whenever he was faced with danger, but he worried for the well being of his wife and child – thoughts like these often plagued his thinking for hours on end, no matter how many times his lover would attempt to reassure him that nothing would happen.

Thanks to his military experience, he could easily spot trouble or a suspicious figure whenever they were near. He had learned how to remain consistently perceptive, and this city never failed to throw something dangerous at him – it had happened several times before. Whether it was at a bar, a street corner, a library, there was always someone looking to cause trouble.

Thomas froze in the middle of the sidewalk, cringing as the sound of rubber tires screeching infiltrated his ears. After it ended, he turned to where he heard the sound – there was a black pickup truck with each of its windows shattered, the tires leaving skid marks on the hot concrete.

Two bald men wearing white dress shirts stepped out from the truck, their black blazers sticking out like a sore thumb. Thomas's bright blue eyes followed them as they stepped into what he recognized as the bank, noting that they were carrying handguns.

"This shit again, huh?" Thomas said under his breath, focusing his gaze on the bank's doors as they shut, his left hand pulling a 625 revolver out from his camouflage jeans. "Let's see what kind of hell The Commanded can put 'em through."

Thomas gingerly moved towards the bank, his revolver held tightly in his grip. He did not want those men to catch him. Once he arrived at the bank, he pressed his back against the wall that was to the left of the screen door.

"Just fork over all the cash you got and I won't blow a hole through your skull! It's that easy!" One of the men hollered, pointing his handgun between the bank teller's hazel eyes which were quivering violently.

Thomas took a deep breath as the teller shoved fistfuls of dollar bills into the sack rapidly, though his eyes traveled around the room. There was only a man who was on his hands and knees, which let him sigh with relief. It was a slow day, so thankfully there was not a cluster of citizens that he would have to avoid.

With extreme care, Thomas slightly opened the screen door and pulled the trigger to his 625 revolver – and out from the barrel of the gun came a bullet that was shrouded in a bright energy.

"Fuck was that?!" The other men yelled as he turned around, though he immediately fell to the floor once the shining bullet embedded itself into his throat, blood spurting out from it.

"Huh?!" The first man's eyes widened as he whipped around, his trigger finger mere millimeters away from firing away Thomas, who had now entered the building. "What's your deal, asshole?!"

"I couldn't help but notice that you were holding the place up," Thomas started, grinning as a bright green light emitted from his victim's throat. "So I took matters into my own hands."

The man felt his handgun slip out of his grip once he witnessed the bullet that was lodged in his partner's throat fly back towards Thomas, who had grabbed it with ease. In Thomas's eyes, he did this and smirked while strands of green energy flowed into his body.

"What the hell kinda magic trick are you pullin' here?!" The robber shouted through his thick Russian accent, dropping to the floor to grab his weapon. "God fuckin' dammit!"

"You're a real clumsy guy, you sure it's a good idea to rob a bank if you can't even wield your own weapon?" Thomas continued to smirk cheekily, stretching for a moment. "Ah, that feels good… so I guess you couldn't see what just happened, huh?"

"The fuck are you talkin' about?!" The would-be mugger screeched, spit flying out from his maw as he curled his shaking fingers around the handgun. "Don't make fun of me just 'cause you caught me by surprise!"

"I guess you can't really see what The Commanded can do, then. What a disappointment." Thomas sighed, steadily aiming his revolver towards the man. "I just have to take you out like the trash you are, but before I do that, I have a question. How do you think my baby girl would feel if she saw what fuckers like you do on a daily basis?"

"Stop flappin' your gums ya smug piece of shit!" The man spat on the carpet, shakily pointing his gun towards Thomas who seemed rather unfazed. "Baby girl, eh? How's she gonna fill when her daddy doesn't come home at night?"

"Disgusting." Thomas shook his head and pulled the trigger to his revolver, the glowing bullet whizzing out and blowing through the man's skull. "Had a Russian accent yet he acted like a typical street thug. He wasn't fooling anyone… hey, miss?"

"Y-yes?" The woman asked through chattering teeth, her fingernails dragging across her desk as Thomas slipped his revolver back into his pocket once his ammunition had returned to him. "W-What can I do for you, s-sir?"

"Phew! Jeez, that was scary, huh? Hahaha!" Thomas laughed loudly, the bank teller shocked at his jarring shift in demeanor. "Really thought I made the wrong decision, but hey, it all turned out fine in the end! Did they hurt you or that man over there?"

"N-no, I'm fine." the bank teller responded, clearly disoriented by the man's attitude as she rested a quivering hand on her chest. "Uh, thank you, sir! I'll call the police immediately!"

"Glad to hear you're okay! You go ahead and do that, I'll see you later!" Thomas waved to her and then the man, the two of them still taken aback by his change of tone as he walked out of the bank. "Alright, that didn't take too long. It's time to head to work!"

It only took fifteen minutes for two police cars to arrive at the bank, though one of the police officers stood out among the rest.

Parker Cunniffe stood at six feet and four inches tall, having quite the muscular build to go with it. He wore the standard police uniform that had the number 1965 stitched into it. There were wrinkles under his dark blue eyes, which rested below his set of short dark brown hair, which had been styled in a buzz cut. He had much of his face covered by a thick beard and a mustache, which connected.

"Officer Cunniffe, it looks like the bank teller was not lying," one of the officers said as he turned away from the screen door of the bank, "The man that was here did kill them."

"I'll take a look, outta the way." Parker said coldly and pushed the door open with a single hand, sighing as he approached the two corpses that were still laying on the blood stained carpet. "These guys are wearing the same thing that those Russian mob members were the other night… did a War Machine member snap and kill them out of revenge? Miss, what exactly happened here?"

"W-well," the bank teller stammered as Parker gave her an icy stare, "They came in here and held it up at gunpoint, demanding money… there was only one other person in here, but then that guy came in and… well, you know."

"Right." Parker sighed, rubbing his chin. "How did they speak? Were they American?"

"No, they spoke in really thick Russian accents." The bank teller answered, sighing deeply in an attempt to compose herself.

"Then they weren't posers," Parker murmured to himself before turning away. "Thank you, ma'am. By any chance, do you think you could tell me what the man looked like? Did you know his name, and was he injured?"

"He was as.. uh, well built as you. He was wearing a white tank-top and a pair of camouflage jeans, and I think he had short hair. Sorry, I can't really remember that well…" The bank teller apologized.

"That's fine, thank you." Parker nodded, opening the screen door of the bank so he could speak with his fellow officers. "Alright, you can get out the body bags. I'm going to look for the guy who put those poor Russian shitheads out of their misery."

"How long will you be searching, Officer Cunniffe?"

"As long as it takes. I'll call whenever I've found him." Parker answered before walking away from his coworker. "I've got a damn long day ahead of me."

* * *

It was high noon once Jovanni Joestar and his companions arrived at the apartment complex, which, at this point, had been empty for several years.

"We're home!" Jovanni shoved the door to the apartment complex's lobby open, which had dust covering the counter and much of the floor. "We really need to clean up…"

"That is usually your job, JoJo." A soothing voice spoke as quiet footsteps tapped across the wood-tiled floor.

Near the counter stood a fairly tall man, just slightly shorter than Jovanni. He had long, flowing blond locks that hit the center of his back. He dressed rather sharply, wearing a black tuxedo over his white dress shirt, his black tie having the word Gemini placed vertically on it. This matched with his black dress pants and his leather shoes.

"Cut me some slack Gabriel, I just got out of the fucking hospital." Jovanni rolled his eyes, pulling himself forward so he could lean against the counter.

"Ah, forgive me." Gabriel bowed. "Dalimil told me of the situation, and I was quite surprised to hear that you could not handle it despite having Future Heart by your side. How is your leg, sir?"

"His leg is fine." Dalimil interrupted rudely. "Where's Porcelli? I want to introduce him to JoJo over here, so he knows to steer clear of his reckless attitude."

"Rude!" Joanne protested, frowning. "We need to make sure he knows who the other Stand users are, so we can all co-operate if we get caught between a rock and a hard place. Isn't that right, Dalimil?"

"Yeah, you're right." Dalimil responded, chuckling. "So, where is he, Gabriel?"

"He is in his room, I will retrieve him. Excuse me for a few moments." Gabriel bowed once more before walking out of the lobby.

Five minutes had passed before Gabriel re-entered the lobby, where his three comrades had been waiting patient – and just as they expected, there was someone else with him.

Walker Porcelli stood at six feet and one inch tall, his body being rather slim. He wore his light brown hair in a comb over. He also wore a black t-shirt that had the word GLORY in golden letters. Below this, he wore a pair of black slacks that might sag if it he did not wear a belt which appeared to be decorated by several fake diamonds.

"Uh, hey." Walker spoke rather nervously, extending his hand towards Jovanni as he approached. "I'm Walker Porcelli, but you can just call me Walker. Your name is Jovanni Joestar, right?"

"Yeah, call me JoJo." Jovanni shook his hand for a moment, smirking afterward. "You begged to join, huh? Why's that? You look really young for this kind of thing."

"You're right, I'm only twenty one years old. But," Walker started, crossing his arms as he explained himself. "I'm sick of all the shit that these Russians are doing. Killing, stealing… I have a Stand, I should start doing something about it if no one else will. So that's why I decided to join."

"I see." Jovanni replied, rubbing his chin absentmindedly. "You know, if you're not careful you could probably die pretty easily if we're attacked. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, and I'm not really calm in battle, but you're risking your life if you're really going through with this. I'm only twenty eight, but if I die driving out these cocksuckers, then maybe I shouldn't have joined in the first place, you hear?"

"I'm aware of the risk." Walker said calmly, nearly dismissing what Jovanni had said. "If I don't die in the streets, I'll die here. It won't make any difference, so I'm going to put up a fight while I still can."

"I like you!" Jovanni gave Walker a hard pat on the back, chuckling all the while. "I think it's safe to say that you got my back if push comes to shove!"

"Yeah." Walker moved away from Jovanni, scratching the side of his head nervously before he turned towards Dalimil, who had been looking the other way. "What do we have to do today, boss?"

"Boss, eh? I haven't been called that in a while." Dalimil grinned as he slipped his hands into his pockets. "We got a long day ahead of us, so I don't wanna hear any whining from any of you. Got it?"

"Got it!"

* * *

Afternoon had come by quickly and it had nearly disappeared just as fast, the blazing sun slowly disappearing as the clock struck six. Despite this, however, the summer heat was still intense and many of the citizens of Miami were displeased.

Thomas Lowell wiped sweat from his brow as he made his way down the sidewalk, thankful that the streets were not crowded. It seemed that most of the citizens were attempting to avoid the heat by remaining in their vehicles.

"Hey, you." A cold, stern voice said. Thomas turned around to see a familiar police officer, though he did not know his name. "Were you at the bank earlier today?"

"Yeah, why do you ask, officer?" Thomas replied. Would a police officer really arrest him for protecting a civilian? He would run if he had to.

"The bank teller told me that you put down those two Russians. White tank-top, camouflage jeans, short hair… you fit the bill." Parker said, pulling his Beretta M9 out from his holster. "I'm going to have to ask you to come with me, sir."

"Come on, we don't have to do this." Thomas sighed, his fingers twitching as his hand neared the pocket in which he kept his revolver. "I helped her out, didn't she tell you? You can let me go for helping a citizen."

"No, I can't. As far as I'm concerned, your actions make you a vigilante. I can't allow that to happen on my streets." Parker growled, a lanky figure materializing beside him. "Are you going to come with me quietly or are you gonna make this harder than it has to be?"

Thomas's bright blue eyes widened as he watched the figure beside Parker come fully into focus. It was rather lanky, and it had to be at least seven feet tall. Its hands rested on the sidewalk, its fingernails abnormally long. Its body was a beige color, its face having two green eyes with its iris' resembling mushroom clouds. It showed its sharp fangs, saliva dripping from them every few seconds. Throughout its monstrous body were several holes that seemed to be bullet wounds, but instead of blood leaking out it was oil.

"So, you have a Stand. This really won't be easy, then." Thomas grumbled, pulling out his revolver in preparation. "We don't have to do this, officer. I only did what I thought was right."

"So you can see my Hangman, huh? I hope you aren't more trouble than you're worth, kid." Parker bit down on his bottom lip, steadily aiming his pistol. "If you don't work with me, you're going to be in the hospital or six feet in the ground. It's your choice."

Without uttering another word, Thomas bolted down the sidewalk. He did not dare look back as he ran, soon squeezing into a tight alleyway… where could he go now?

Only a mere ten seconds had passed before Parker squeezed into the same alleyway, looking up to see that Thomas managed to pull himself onto the roof. With an indistinguishable grunt, Hangman pointed one of its fingers at the edge of the roof.

Its index finger transformed into a grappling hook, which latched onto the stone edge. Parker grabbed ahold of it as it retracted, which easily pulled him up to the roof where Thomas had been, looking at the police officer with more shock than fear.

"You're really damn determined," Thomas spoke, gritting his teeth as he took aim. "But determination isn't enough to stop The Commanded."

"You're coming with me, like it or not." Parker started, though he was unable to finish as Thomas had pulled the trigger to his revolver without a moment of hesitation. Hangman quickly shielded its user, the latter grunting as the glowing slug embedded itself into the monstrous Stand's left arm.

"You thought I wouldn't shoot, huh?" Thomas said as he caught the bullet as it came back to him, wisps of green energy flowing from Hangman's left arm and into his. "The Commanded siphons the life force of anyone I shoot successfully and adds onto my stamina, as well as my strength and defenses."

"Your Stand is just a revolver? How do you think you'll get away from my Hangman then?" Parker half-joked, grinning as Hangman lowered its guard.

"You're wrong, my Stand is a set of twelve bullets that reshape themselves for whatever gun I place them in." Thomas snickered. "I didn't serve this country to just be arrested for doing the right thing, officer. I won't let you lay a finger on me while I can still help this city."

"You served, huh? You're pretty young, but I can see it from how stout you are. I served in Vietnam myself." Parker smirked, somewhat glad that he had met a fellow soldier. "I guess you really will put up a fight."

Thomas backed up near the opposite end of the building as Parker spoke, the beastly Stand raising one of its hands towards him. Just as a dozen bullets shot out from underneath its fingernails, the man dove off of the building after he fired at Parker a second time.

The bullet narrowly missed the police officer and then flew back down to where Thomas was, allowing Parker to keep an eye on it as he jumped down as well. As he did so, he felt his body crash against dozens of trash bags, and Thomas was running through another alleyway.

"You're not getting away so easily!" Parker shouted as Hangman's index finger transfigured into a harpoon, which managed to slice through the side of Thomas's left leg. Despite the stabbing pain in his flesh, the broad-shouldered man continued to run.  
The police officer darted forward, reaching out towards Thomas as he neared him – though, unexpectedly, his opponent turned and fired another round, this time in Parker's left leg.

"SHIT!" Parker choked as he fell face first onto the grime covered alleyway, his eyes following the wisps of green energy that flowed back into Thomas's leg, which slowly healed itself. "You regenerate if you land a hit, too?!"

"Yeah, so you've done fuck all to me." Thomas replied with a nod, grabbing the lead as it flew back to him. "I told you we didn't have to do this, you dumb piece of-"

"RAH!" Parker growled like a wild animal would as his clenched fist met with Thomas's mouth, his free hand grabbing him by the collar. "You shouldn't talk so much during battle, asshole."

"I told you… we didn't have to do this." Thomas spoke rather softly, gripping Parker's arm tightly as he did so. "I don't like how my Stand works, I don't want to hurt people. You aren't giving me the choice. Those Russians didn't, and you sure as hell won't."

"You had two choices. You could have come with me peacefully, or you could fight back and resist arrest as well. You aren't going to get away from me. It's my job to keep the peace, not yours! DO YOU HEAR ME?!" Parker yelled, his grip tightening.

"A stubborn old shit like you won't even get it after I explain it to you!" Thomas argued, raising one of his own fists before delivering a swift blow to Parker's gut, forcing him off. "Maybe it WAS wrong of me to save someone who couldn't defend themselves! But hey, what the fuck do I know? What the fuck would YOU know about protecting the innocent, since you're so adamant on keeping me from doing it!"

Parker attempted to throw another punch at Thomas, but it seemed that he was too slow for the young man. He felt the right side of his face go numb after feeling something blunt strike it, which he presumed was Thomas's fist.

Thomas stopped himself from punching him a third time, noticing that Parker's eyes had started to glaze over. That did not seem normal, hell, it was anything but. He could see the older man's body visibly shake.

"They're here. Oh god, they're here…" Parker's skin was almost completely covered by a fresh layer of sweat. "Don't make me kill them. You won't make me, right? Right? Hello, are you listening to me?"

"Huh?" Thomas mumbled, moving his hands away from Parker who had slowly collapsed to the ground, thanks to his quivering knees. "What are you doing?"

"Don't make me kill them, they didn't do anything to me. They're staring at me from the bushes, they want help… oh god, what do I do?" Parker grabbed his hair and pulled, prompting Thomas to grasp them.

"Hey, calm down. It's okay, you're okay." Thomas said, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. Trick or no trick, Thomas felt compelled to help this man. "You served in Vietnam… I can only imagine what happened. Pull yourself together, Parker. You're okay."

Several minutes passed as Parker sobbed audibly into Thomas's broad shoulder, his body shaking less and less as time went on. Thomas moved away from the once threatening police officer, gripping his revolver tightly.

"I'm… okay… I'm okay…" Parker mumbled under his trembling breath, watching as Thomas sighed with relief. "You… why did you…?"

Thomas almost immediately bolted away from Parker, dashing out of the cramped alleyway. He had left Parker all alone, but he was sure that the officer could hold himself together.

 _He's a tough old bird, he can keep it together. I didn't think he was going to fall apart when just a few seconds before he was prepared to put me in the hospital. All I know for sure is that I need to be more careful from now on._ Thomas could feel his bones rattle as he ran, not intending to stop until he finally made it back home.

But, at least his day was finally over.

* * *

The sun fell away from the Earth once night had struck the globe. The citizens of Miami were returning to their homes from work, filled with relief that the heat had finally died down. However, there was one restless man who had been staring out of his hotel room's window.

He was fairly tall, having unkempt black hair that was mostly covered by a fedora. He wore a white button up shirt, the very top button undone. He also wore a dark grey vest which matched with his black dress pants.

His fingers squirmed inside of his pocket as he pressed the telephone against his ear, staring at the wall of the room as a honeyed voice spoke to him.

"Are my orders clear, Mister November?" The man spoke calmly yet sternly. "The moment you come across a member of War Machine, use your Stand to eliminate them on sight. Do you understand, or must I repeat myself?"

"Yeah, boss." November replied, a cold sweat sliding down his pale face. "You're going to remember your end of the bargain, right?"

"Of course, I never throw any deal that is worthwhile to me." The smooth voice assured him. "Keep up the good work for a few more weeks, and I will do what I can for your beloved. Do not attempt to speak with me until I call you again."

"Yes, sir." November said as the phone call ended, his hand lowering the device as he sighed, though he could not keep himself from grinning. "Just a few more weeks and I'll have what I need. I'm so close."


	2. War Time

Several days had passed before Jovanni Joestar could walk without crutches or a limp. This came as a relief not only to him but his teammates, who were glad to have him back to his normal physical state.

It was yet another blistering hot day in Miami, the heat not doing Jovanni and his comrades any favors once they had finished their chores and entered the afternoon. It was expected of them to clean up their own messes and to make sure nothing was dirty. Dalimil had been enforcing this rule for god knows how long, but everybody was too afraid to go against his word, which was effectively law.

"JoJo, did you know there's a fair in town?" Joanne asked, holding up a flier that detailed its location and several other minor things. "Would you wanna go with me if we ever get the time this week? It ends at the end of the month!"

"Oh, sure. I wouldn't mind goofing off for a little bit!" Jovanni grinned, putting a stack of dishes into the wooden cabinet. "I doubt Dalimil will take that stick out of his ass, though."

"I'm right here, jackass!" Dalimil's gruff voice shouted, causing the two of them to nearly jump out of their skin. "Usually, you'd be right! But I have something important for you to do there, so listen up."

"Uh, alright." Jovanni leaned against the counter with his arms crossed, one eyebrow raised inn curiosity. "What's goin' on, old man?"

"I already ordered a few of our men to check out the fair for any of those Supernova assholes, but they never came back with their reports." Dalimil said, his eyes shifting from Joanne and then to Jovanni. "I need the two of you to find out what the hell happened to them. If they're dead, take out the fucker who killed 'em. If they're not dead, make sure they're safe, and then take out the fucker that tried to mess with us. Got it?"

"Yeah, that sounds easy enough. Is it just me and Joanne?" Jovanni asked, moving towards the kitchen's exit slowly.

"It's just the two of you. If I let anyone else go, it'll just look really suspicious. Any Supernova members will just think you're on a date, the lot of them are fucking idiots." Dalimil answered. "You two are leaving at six o'clock, which is in four hours. The crowds will clear out by then."

"Alright, got it." Jovanni said, and then looked over to Joanne. "Don't forget to pack your pistol. Your Stand isn't long range like mine, so you might need it."

"Right!" Joanne nodded eagerly and followed Jovanni as he left the room, leaving Dalimil alone with his thoughts.

"I'll never understand how that kid is never worried," Dalimil whispered to himself with a shake of his head. "His own comrades might be dead, and he's taking it so lightly. He's always been like this, but… lately, he hasn't shown that he cares at all. I'm worried."

* * *

Walker Porcelli set his glass of water to the side, flipping through pages of a magazine absentmindedly before the door knob to his room twisted.

"Come in." He greeted whoever it was, his voice low as he shut the magazine. He stared towards the door to see Gabriel walk inside of his room. "Oh, hey. Am I needed for something?"

"No, I just wanted to see how you were adjusting to your new home." Gabriel informed him, bowing for just a moment. "I do hope that it was easy to move your belongings. Did you have any trouble with anything?"

"Huh? No, I didn't. Thanks?" Walker thanked him, slightly confused by his formal tone. "You're not a butler, right?"

"No, I am not. Why do you ask?" Gabriel questioned, tilting his head curiously. "I just wish to see you and the rest of my comrades happy."

"You're just so formal, it's a bit off-putting. Everyone else is either really rough around the edges or they just don't give a shit about anything." Walker replied, slightly peeved. "Can you prove me wrong?"

"If you can bear with me for just a while longer, I am sure you will warm up to them. I can assure you that there is more beneath the surface." Gabriel said, smiling at him all the while. "I hope you choose to believe me."

"I'll take your word for it, you've been here longer than I have." Walker said with a barely visible grin, rubbing his chin as he did so. "Hm.. alright, I'll hold you to that. But, I'm still wondering… why do you speak like that?"

"It is how I was raised, so I will be polite and kind to anyone I come across. I apologize if it bothers you." Gabriel stated, bowing yet again. "I will be going now. Thank you for your time, Walker Porcelli."

"You can just call me Walker, y'know."

Gabriel nodded. "Duly noted."

* * *

Thomas Lowell drove through the city, his air conditioner cooling him off while he did so. He had to take extra precautions, so he decided that he would not walk to work any longer. It was too risky, Parker might be able to track him that way.

"Do you think I should go pick up Fay something from the fair?" Thomas said, pressing his cellphone against his ear. "I feel like it'd really tickle her, Alice!"

"Oh, she'd love that!" The woman on the other end replied, overjoyed by the suggestion. "Try to get home before dinner though, okay? Fay misses you!"

"I'll be home as soon as I can! Love you!" Thomas said, ending the phone call. He could not help but smile whenever he thought of his daughter, she truly brought him so much joy. "I'm gonna try every game I can to get something she'd love! Maybe I could get something for Alice, too…"

* * *

The fair was just starting to clear out, just as Dalimil had said it would. The afternoon transformed into evening, but this did not stop a select few from enjoying the rest of the day.

Though, many citizens stared at a strangely dressed man who had been sitting alone on a wooden bench in silence, a stuffed bear beside him.

Petia wore a pair of orange shades which went well with his bright, short red hair. He also wore a yellow-green t-shirt with the word MILLION on the front in a dark brown color, placed horizontally. On the back of the shirt it said ONE IN A in the same color, though it was placed vertically. With this, he wore pants that shared the same color that were held up by a dark brown belt. On the buckle was an emblem of the sun.

Petia Bogdan swallowed a piece of his cotton candy before staring at his watch. He sighed, tossing the rest of the snack into the garbage bin that was set a few feet away from him.

"They should arrive here at any moment." He murmured to himself, his voice rather smooth despite his thick Russian accent. "The boss assured me that if their comrades did not return within a few hours, then they would come looking. I will wait as long as I have to."

* * *

Jovanni made his way through the gate after paying for his ticket, one hand in his pocket and the other on his left hip. It only took a moment before Joanne met up with him, allowing her to look over the hill and towards the ongoing fair.

"How about I search the west, you go east, and we meet in the middle?" Joanne suggested, to which Jovanni nodded. "If you need help, don't be afraid to call for help."

"These assholes aren't afraid to open fire in front of other people. We gotta be careful, okay? You especially, your Stand weakens your defenses. Be safe." Jovanni gave her a nod and walked at a brisk pace towards hes destination.

"Yeah, got it!" Joanne waved and walked slightly faster than Jovanni, a spark of electricity forming between her fingers for just a moment. "He'll be sorry if he tries anything."

* * *

Jovanni sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he stopped in front of a stall. Standing inside of it was a man with messy brown hair, his outfit being a basic white tanktop and a pair of jeans. Though, the one thing that stood out the most was the man's mustache that had curled upward.

"Hello, sir! Would you like to try your luck?" The man asked encouragingly, stepping out of the way so Jovanni could get a good look at the set up. There were three balls in a basket on the counter, and there ten bottles stacked on top of one another. "You might be able to win a prize for a special someone!"

Jovanni rubbed his chin in curiosity, looking over the prizes that were stacked up on three shelves. Just as he expected, there quite a few stuffed animals – the one that caught his eye the most was the enormous stuffed teddy bear.

"I'm busy, but I guess I can spare a few minutes here. I get three shots, yeah?" Jovanni asked and handed the man a five dollar bill, his left hand grabbing one of the balls as he bent down. "I'm getting that huge-ass bear."

"Good luck!" The man stepped to the side, his arms crossed as he moved out of Jovanni's line of sight. He seemed a bit too determined to win that stuffed animal.

After staring at the stack of bottles for just a few moments, he flicked the ball towards the middle of the pyramid. His heart immediately sunk when the ball hit the side of the table that the bottles were situated on.

"Fuck! What kinda rigged shit is this?!" Jovanni shouted, clenching his fists in a sudden outburst of fury. His angry yelling was soon cut off once someone placed a firm hand on them, and he turned around to see who it was.

"Hey, let me have a shot before you wreck the stall!" Thomas Lowell half-joked, grabbing one of the balls as he bent down. "Really, these cheap games are really easy. You just have to focus. Also hey, when I get this, give me that huge bear!"

"I _was_ focusing!" Jovanni whined, sweat dripping off his face as he watched this stranger flick the ball towards the stack of bottles. His eyes widened as the ball made contact with the middle of the pyramid, toppling it completely.

"Congratulations, sir!" The man smiled brightly and handed the enormous stuffed teddy bear to Thomas. "Here you go!"

"Oh higgilty fucking piggilty, you can throw a ball! Everyone clap for his amazing achievement, good for you!" Jovanni mocked him, rolling his eyes as he stepped away from the stall. "Are you happy?"

"Yeah, I am! My daughter will love it!" Thomas smirked, almost as if he was mocking Jovanni. "What, are you mad 'cause I could throw a ball? Why don't you give it another try?"

"Okay, I will!" Jovanni bent down once more and grabbed the third ball. He aimed carefully, though he smirked as his Stand materialized beside him, its fingers grabbing the ball as well. "C'mon, Future Heart…"

Future Heart was a muscular figure that had been seven feet tall, its body a primarily black color. Across its broad shoulders were four holes, though they were rather small. Its head only held two bright golden eyes and a perpetually shut mouth. On its chest was a large golden heart with what appeared to be a shotgun shell embedded in the middle of it. Along with this, it had six holes on the bottom of its feet, as well six holes on each of its palms.

"Hey, you can't do that!" Thomas pointed at Jovanni, who looked back towards him with a look of shock. "That's cheating, you can't use that!"

Jovanni blinked and tossed the ball absentmindedly before walking towards Thomas, his hands on his hips. "Are you sayin' you can see Future Heart? So why shouldn't I kick your ass right now, huh?!"

"Because I just wanted the teddy bear." Thomas said without skipping a beat, holding the teddy bear close to his chest. "It isn't a big deal!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Jovanni rolled his eyes, turning away from the muscular stranger. "I'm hungry, so I'm gonna go grab a bite to eat."

"I can pay if you want." Thomas suggested, the very mention of free food forcing Jovanni's face to light up with glee. "Consider it an apology for stealing your precious bear."

"Oh, fuck off… you better be willing to pay up." Jovanni snickered, making his way towards the nearest food vendor. "After this, I really need to get back to work!"

Thomas stifled a laugh. "Whatever you say."

* * *

Parker propped his injured leg on a cushioned chair that was not set too far away from his desk – he would be damned if he let a bullet wound would keep him away from his job. It would be a lie to say that he did not yell at the doctor that had been taking care of him, as he would not allow him to return back to work without a few more examinations.

An officer stopped at his desk, saluting him for a moment before resting his hand at his side. "Sir, you called for me?" His voice was on the verge of a quiver, as if he feared the man before him.

"Have you made any progress in your investigation?" Parker asked rather sternly, his eyes locking with his subordinate's. "You better tell me more than what I want to hear, you got me?"

"Y-yes, sir." The officer stammered, gulping. "We, uh… couldn't find him. We kept your description in mind, but we couldn't find anyone that matched it. What do you propose we do?"

Parker sighed, slowly pulling himself out from his seat. He snatched a set of keys from his desk, holding them close to his chest. "If you want something done, you do it your goddamn self. Your job isn't done yet, rookie. You're coming with me."

"Huh? But, how are we supposed to find him? We don't even know his name, all we know is that he was apart of the military!" The officer argued, which resulted in Parker almost barking at him like a mad dog.

"IS THAT INSUBORDINATION I HEAR?!" The rookie almost covered his ears, but he stood still and took the verbal lashing. "We will find that bastard if it is the last thing we do! We do not need a vigilante like him running wild in this city, we already have enough trouble with the fucking Russians! GOT IT?!"

"Yes, sir." The rookie nodded, moving to help the injured man – though, like the stubborn mule he was, he limped towards the entrance of the police station. "Sir, do you need help?"

"There's a first time for everything." Parker retorted coldly, his words packing quite the sting as he did not even bother to look back at his subordinate. "We're going to search every single damn corner of this city, I don't care how long it takes."

"Where are we going to look first, sir?" The rookie officer asked, clearly devoid of any desire to argue with his superior.

"The fair. The asshole probably thought that he could keep himself hidden in a crowd, but I'll make sure he knows that he won't be safe, no matter where he goes." Parker said bluntly, shoving the front door to the station open with ease. "Come on, we're wasting the day away."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

"So, do you know who you're looking for? What's he look like?" Thomas asked as he neatly wiped his mouth with a napkin, setting it to the side before looking over at Jovanni who merely shrugged.

"I don't know, I thought it would be obvious to find him. Or her. I don't discriminate." Jovanni stated, tossing his paper plate into the nearby garbage can. "Where the hell is Joanne? I thought she would have gotten back to me, or at least called by now."

"Are you serious? You don't even know what the guy looks like!" Thomas argued, bewildered at the fact that Jovanni was looking for someone he knew nothing about. "Besides, who are you even looking for?"

"Looking for an asshole that might have killed some of our comrades." Jovanni said almost flatly, his voice almost devoid of any emotion. He wiped his mouth with his shirt sleeve before he continued. "I haven't seen any signs that would lead me to believe that my friends are alive and well, so that only means that some Russian asshole got the best of them. So, what I'm saying is… I'm looking for the Supernova shithead that did this so I can put his head on a platter."

"Supernova? Your comrades? Wait, are you telling me that you're a gangster?" Thomas asked, though he was admittedly put off by Jovanni's sudden shift in demeanor. "Are you planning to shoot me in the back as soon as I turn around?"

"What? Fuck no!" Jovanni protested, rather offended at Thomas's shock. "Look, I might be an asshole but I'm sure as hell not gonna shoot someone who hasn't done shit to me! What, are ya gonna turn me in now?"

"I'd be a hypocrite if I did that, so I think you can tell me whatever you want." Thomas chuckled, waving his 625 revolver for a brief moment before pocketing it. "I'm a Stand user, too, so I think you could use some help. I don't like these Supernova guys either, so I think it's safe to say you have an ally. The name is Thomas Lowell."

"Awesome!" Jovanni grinned, crossing one leg over the other as he laughed enthusiastically. "My name is Jovanni Joestar, but you can just call me JoJo. So, why are you fighting these ass wipes, Tommy?"

"Well, the way I see it is that I don't really have a choice, you know? I have a wife and a little girl waiting for me at home, and I won't risk getting shot like a dog on the streets." Thomas explained, looking a bit solemn. "I can't afford to die yet, someone's gotta raise my baby girl, and it ought to be me."

"Good answer!" Jovanni responded, smirking as he attempted to continue, though he stopped once he felt someone's shadow loom over him. "Huh? What's up?"

Standing in front of him was Petia Bogdan, one of his hands holding onto a large stuffed bear as he extended his other, attempting to shake Jovanni's – though, the man ignored this, almost covering his eyes from how bright Petia's outfit was.

"Are you tryin' to blind me or somethin'? You got some bright-ass clothes on, dude!" Jovanni joked, barely reacting as Petia slid his hand back into his pocket. "What's up, what do you need?"

"I cannot find my friend." Petia spoke, attempting to hide his thick Russian accent to the best of his ability. "I was wondering if you could lend a kind hand?"

"Oh, of course! What do they look like?" Jovanni asked as he picked himself up, moving in front of Petia who merely grinned as he did so. "Could you point me in the right direction?"

Suddenly, a slim figure materialized next to Petia as he closed in on Jovanni, who seemed rather clueless as to what was going on. Rarity was a seven foot tall Stand, being rather slim in build. Its body was a dull silver, though where its eyes should have been was a helmet with a black screen drilled into it, where several dark green lines ran through it. Its mouth was also covered by a steel plate, and throughout each of its limbs were large screws.

Just as Rarity's fist rocketed towards the back of Jovanni's head, the latter's own Future Heart materialized and grabbed the enemy Stand's fist, its grip firm and tight.

Petia gasped, unable to free himself from Jovanni Joestar's grip, though it was mostly due to the shock running throughout his skinny frame. His lips trembled as Jovanni turned around, keeping a steady hold on his enemy's shaking fist as he smirked.

"What, did you really think I'd fall for that shit? Just look at how you're dressed, you dumb motherfucker." Jovanni snickered, Future Heart's fingers bearing down on Rarity's knuckles which would audibly crack as time slowly passed.

"Don't move!" Thomas pulled out his 625 revolver, a green aura surrounding it as he pointed it towards Petia – just as expected, the citizens surrounding the three of them screamed and ran away as their conflict unfolded.

Petia's free hand twitched, ignoring Thomas's warning. Without issuing a second, he pulled the trigger to The Commanded, the bullet zipping through the air and towards the side of the Russian man's face.

Lacking all worry or hesitation, Rarity swiftly grabbed the bullet before it could meet with its user's fragile flesh; as if that wasn't enough, Petia's Stand flicked the bullet towards Jovanni, whose eyes had widened in shock.

Future Heart released its grip on Rarity's fist, quickly catching the incoming bullet before it embedded itself into Jovanni's skull. It only took a few more moments until the bullet flew back to Thomas, who placed it back into his revolver.

"Shit, you can catch bullets, huh?" Jovanni bit down on his lip in anticipation rather than fear, the look in his amber eyes making it obvious that he had been thirsting for battle. "Well, you wouldn't be the only one!"

"Disgusting pig. It appears that your Stand is just as fast as my Rarity, though it lacks range." Petia insulted, proceeding to spit at Jovanni's shoes before turning towards Thomas. "And your bullets return to you. That could prove to be troublesome."

"Hey Tommy, get down!" Jovanni shouted as he jumped backwards, feeling a wave of relief wash over him as he watched his new found ally take cover beneath the bench. "Eat this, you Russian cocksucker!"

Future Heart pressed its palm against the air before several bullets rocketed out from the several holes that were indented into its skin. Petia groaned audibly as Rarity moved at blindingly fast speeds, the sound of screaming civilians filling Jovanni's ears as he fired exclusively towards his enemy.

Jovanni's fire came to an end when he realized this was getting him no where, as Rarity had managed to catch every single bullet and throw each of them to the ground below.

"I can control my fire a bit, but I didn't think you would figure that out… shit, I guess I don't have any more surprises up my sleeve." Jovanni could feel sweat drip down his face as he watched Petia advance, dropping the teddy bear in his arms so he could pull his revolver out from his pocket.

"Really? That was easy, the boss made it seem like you would be a threat." Petia shrugged, slowly aiming his weapon towards Jovanni's forehead. "Stand or no Stand, you Americans are terribly easy to dispose."

"That answers my question, at least." Jovanni chuckled, his body twitching slightly though he did not know if it was from fear or the urgent need to act. "I hope you're satisfied."

"JOJO!" A familiar voice screeched, causing Jovanni to cover his ears for just a moment. He turned around to see Joanne rushing towards him, her sparking fist meeting with Petia's left cheek. "YOU LEFT YOURSELF WIDE OPEN!"

Petia coughed as he nearly fell onto his back, the woman's hand ripping the handgun out of his tight grip. Though, for a moment, he swore that he felt an unfamiliar searing pain enter his body.

"A friend of yours, JoJo?" Thomas asked as he ran over to the two, though he did not bother with introductions as Petia groaned. "What kind of power was that?!"

"Oh, hi, I don't know you." Joanne said, and she would have brushed him off if he had not asked her that question. "Stingray Affliction! I can basically run electricity through my body, but it makes me pretty tired whenever I'm done using it!"

"We can skip the explanations, the fucker is getting back up." Jovanni said among the screaming crowd that had been running past them for the past few seconds, watching as Petia pulled out a second revolver. "Guess the motherfucker came prepared."

"If it makes you feel any better, that hurt like hell!" Petia yelled, grinding his top and bottom rows of teeth against one another as he aimed towards Jovanni. "You only bought yourself a few more seconds!"

"Did I?" Jovanni swiftly raised his middle finger before slipping into the crowd, his feet carrying him deeper inside before Petia followed his slowly disappearing figure. "Come and catch me, fucker!"

Thomas and Joanne followed their comrade into the thick, screaming crowd. Several minutes would pass before they would lose all sight of him, but luckily, Jovanni Joestar knew exactly where he was going. Improvisation was always a tool that he found to be useful in the most dire situations.

Petia slipped inside of a rather large building, the inside of it being rather well lit. He swore that he saw that American make his way inside of here, it was just a matter of finding him and then putting a bullet in his thick skull.

Though, Petia felt as if something was wrong. Was he going crazy? Was he dizzy? It took him a few moments before he figured it out, his body turning around to see his reflection again and again. Where exactly did he run into?

"You know, you're really damn good at catching bullets." Jovanni's disembodied voice came from the floor above, though Petia bumped into a mirror as he attempted to find the stairway. "But, can you catch them if you don't know where they're coming from? Welcome to Mirror World!"

"Stop hiding like a coward and face me, you smug bastard!" Petia screamed, though Jovanni did not dignify his insult with a response. He flinched once he heard the sound of a pistol firing resound throughout the building.

He turned around, his Stand standing guard as his eyes moved from left to right. Which way was forward? Where was the exit? He could barely see, and he could see the bullet zooming through the mirrors. Time was running out. Where the hell did that man fire from?!

Petia's train of thought was cut off as the bullet pierced his chest, causing him to fall against one of the mirrors, cracking it in half as blood started to spill from his fresh wound. Once his body fell with a loud thud, the sound of Jovanni's footsteps clanked against the metal floor.

Jovanni pointed his revolver between Petia's eyes, which looked rather passive and devoid of the will to fight that he had just a few seconds ago. He bent down, placing the barrel of the gun under the Russian man's chin.

"Before I blow your head to kingdom come, tell me something, will ya?" Jovanni asked, his voice strangely cold and less cocky than it had been. "Did you really kill those Americans?"

"Yes." Petia spoke, and he would have continued – though he was cut short as a second shot rang throughout the building, his body falling limp as Jovanni placed his revolver back in his pocket.

"That's all I needed to know." Jovanni shook his head, making his way out of the building. Luckily, his comrades had just started to pass the building, the screaming crowd almost entirely gone. "We should get the fuck out of here, the cops will be here at any second!"

"Shit, you're right!" Thomas could feel his heart sink into his chest at the very mention of the police, prompting him to sprint towards his vehicle with Jovanni and Joanne following.

They had managed to arrive at the parking lot without any interruptions, though all three of them could see an unfamiliar figure – at least, unfamiliar to Jovanni and Joanne – standing by a motorcyle that had been parked uncomfortably close to their vehicles. With the unfamiliar figure appeared to be a second police officer.

"I've got you now." Parker Cunniffe stated, his Beretta M9 within range of his wandering fingers. "Are you gonna come with me peacefully this time, or are you gonna run? Why are these punks with you, too? Aren't you a man of honor?"

Parker spoke almost mockingly, though it seemed to bother Thomas most of all – before he could retaliate verbally, Jovanni held up a hand.

"Hey, old man." Jovanni started, prompting Parker to slowly look at him with a raised eyebrow. "How about you shut your fucking mouth? Today has been hard enough, so I don't need you to tell me about how I'm just some punk. Fuck off."

Parker grinned, his violet eyes widening in slight surprise. "I don't need an excuse to take you out, I've seen you and your girlfriend there fighting on the streets before! Since you've threatened the livelihood of this city, I'm gonna have to take you down."

"RUN!" Thomas screamed as he made a mad dash for his vehicle, his two new found companions doing the same as Parker jumped onto his motorcycle.

In the nick of time, each and every one of them managed to start their engines and make their way towards the highway. Jovanni drove behind Thomas, though he had to deal with Parker, who had slowly started to gain on him.

"Joanne, Thomas can't do shit right now! Can you shoot that motorcycle's tires out? It'll put those officers in the hospital for a few days, but they'll get over it!" Jovanni yelled, almost as if he was issuing an order.

"Yeah, I got it!" Joanne yelled as she kicked the passenger door open, poking her head out slightly and her hand a bit more so she could get a clean shot. "Get off our asses!"

She fired once or twice, though both shots missed. Parker said something that was inaudible to her, though she could see the other officer point his own handgun towards their escape car.

"You are assaulting an officer of the law, pull over before you I have to hurt all three of you!" Parker shouted intimidatingly, three or four rounds bouncing off the back of the car as Jovanni kept it steady. He had no choice but to follow Thomas, and assumed that he knew where he was going.

"FUCK OFF!" Joanne shouted as she fired once more, this bullet luckily penetrating the front tire of the motorcycle, effectively rendering it useless. She watched as their vehicle swerved to the left, the motorcycle soon flipping over, leaving the two injured and splayed out on the road. "You said they'll be fine, right?"

"If they didn't hurt anything that they need, yeah, they'll be just fine." Jovanni said as they continued to drive at the same pace they had been, desperately wanting to remain unseen to any passersby. "Okay, Thomas. You take the lead…"

* * *

As the evening turned into night, the city became a bit more wild than usual. A tall building with the words HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN in neon lighting certainly grabbed attention from most of Miami's citizens.

Despite being a new attraction to the city, many people waited in line every night to be let inside. It was often claimed that the machines were rigged, as almost everyone that entered came out with more money than they had beforehand.

It was incredibly difficult to hear yourself over the crowds. Drunkards, party people and more would spend their nights drinking and gambling as if life had no other meaning, but this did not concern the House Of The Rising Sun's owner.

Atriark sat in his office with his legs crossed, one slender hand pressed against his deck while the other held his telephone against his ear as he continually nodded as an unknown voice spoke into his ear.

He wore a monochromatic suit, which had been rather tidy, not a spot of dirt or lint could be seen whatsoever. His main feature was his straight, flowing, silky, off-center part red hair that covered half of his face. He could be described as a handsome man, his face well defined and his cheekbones sharp.

"Yes, I understand that you are sending someone to speak with me tomorrow." Atriark said rather calmly, tapping his fingers against his desk. "I look forward to meeting your beloved associates, Mister Arkadi. Shall we say goodnight here?"

"Yes, that is what I would prefer. Sleep soundly tonight, Atriark." A smoothy, honeyed voice spoke into his ear before the call ended, leading Atriark to set the telephone down slowly.

"My god, what an enthusiastic man." Atriark murmured to himself as he slipped a newspaper out from his desk, his eyes scanning it as he flipped the pages. "Terrifying, too. Really, praise the good god above that he isn't angry with me. He could probably make it so that my entire face is hideous... how horrible that would be."


	3. Anarchy My Dear

Jovanni Joestar kicked the door to the lobby of the apartment complex open, the heat from the summer night flooding inside as Joanne Sybella and Thomas Lowell followed him, the latter shutting the door audibly, the slamming sound being answered with several pairs of shoes tapping against the wooden floor.

"Hey, we're home late with a friend!" Jovanni called out, his voice somewhat strained. What a long day, all he wanted to do was get this out of the way and then hit the sack. "God, would they hurry the fuck up?"

Dalimil Klement stepped into the lobby, followed by Gabriel Jarvis and what appeared to be one of their guards, holding a shotgun close to his chest.

"JoJo, Joanne, you're finally back, eh? What the hell happened out there?" Dalimil asked, stifling a yawn as his eyes traveled towards Thomas. "Who the fuck is this guy? Why'd you bring him here, JoJo?!"

"Because he's a friend, he even helped me and Joanne kick the shit out of a Russian asshole!" Jovanni explained, crossing his arms as he approached his boss. "We ran into him and the guy tried to get a sneak attack off on me, but he's in hell now. Turns out he _did_ kill our men… it was probably easy for him too, the fucker had a Stand."

"I expected Supernova's members to have them, but it's a damn shame our men were so outclassed and helpless. If I had known any better, I wouldn't have sent them out to investigate." Dalimil sighed solemnly, his gaze returning to Thomas. "Thanks for helping Jovanni out, but what are you doing here? Looking to join?"

"Jovanni helped me lose the cops, so I didn't really have a choice." Thomas murmured, the weight on his shoulders making itself obvious. "They know what I drive now, so I'm going to have to be especially careful… goddamn it, I'm gonna have to trash my truck, huh?"

"You helped us out, so the least we can do is give it a paint job." Dalimil offered, smiling like a proud father would toward his son. "Do you think that'd work? Do you have a wife, son?"

"Yeah, she'll kill me if she finds out what happened, or what I do." Thomas told him with a slight quiver in his voice. "Maybe I can get shitfaced and one of you could drive me home, pretending to be a work buddy? I think that might work…"

"I can drive ya home after you drink down as much booze as you can handle." Jovanni said, throwing an arm around the young man. "But ya didn't answer Dalimil, are ya gonna join or not?"

"You can't just spring a question like that on me, I have to think about something like that!" Thomas argued, crossing his arms in disapproval. "Look, if I join, I have a better chance of dying out on the streets. I have a wife and a baby girl to take care of, and my Fay needs her daddy!"

"While I disagree, as we're all a team here, you need to stay at home and make sure your little girl is fine." Dalimil said understandingly, pointing to Jovanni for a moment. "When he was just a boy, I would have done the exact same thing."

"Yeah, whatever…" Jovanni blushed, rather embarassed by his father figure's oddly kind words. "Uh, anyway, you better get to drinking your ass off, Thomas."

"I don't really like alcohol, but I'll do whatever it takes to make sure my family's safe." Thomas said before gulping, bracing himself as Jovanni led him towards the kitchen. "This is gonna fucking suck, I can feel it already."

"Oh suck it up! You'll have a hangover, but you won't be in jail!" Jovanni berated him, soon disappearing into the hallway as Thomas followed.

"You were rather kind there, sir. Are you alright? Do you have a fever?" Gabriel asked Dalimil once the footsteps had faded, though the guard had turned around to follow them for the sake of safety. "I have not seen you act so out of place in months, it's rather refreshing to see."

"I've just been thinking a lot is all." Dalimil replied, scratching the side of his head as he chuckled rather lowly. "All of you bastards are my family, which is why I'm so rough with ya. It'll keep you hardened and alert, and all of you have turned into hard-workers! I couldn't be any more proud than I am right now."

***  
"YER NOT THE BAWSH OF ME!" Thomas shouted as he wrapped his arms around Jovanni's slim body, bear hugging him tightly. "C'mere you… youuuuu… I'll hug you if I wanna, ya bashtard!"

"Get off of me, you weigh a shitton, dude!" Jovanni whined, slowly prying Thomas's hands off of his back as he groaned in agony. "Fuck, I should have known this was a bad idea!"

"I love you, man!" Thomas nuzzled his face against Jovanni's, who managed to escape from the larger man's death grip. "Heyyy, what are ya doin'? Am I goin' home yet?"

"Yeah, come on." Jovanni sighed, grabbing onto the ex-military man's collar as he led him towards the lobby of the apartment complex. "Your wife is probably waiting for you, so get a move on!"

"M-my wife would be sooooo happy that you care so m-much about me, JerJer!" Thomas slurred, leaning against Jovanni who had managed to reach Dalimil's rugged, beaten up car. "What a PIZZA shit!"

"Don't let him hear you say that! Pipe down!" Jovanni ordered, slamming his hand over the drunk man's mouth, though he immediately retracted it as Thomas drug his tongue across it. "Eugh, what the fuck, dude?!"

"Youuuu can't silence ME! First amendment, fuckboy! I fought for my right to speak m-my mind, you clown fart!" Thomas nearly spat on Jovanni's face, the latter forcing him into the car before making his way to the driver seat. "Are we goin' for a ride? Where are we goin' again? I'm so exciiiiiteeeeeeeed!"

"Keep it down, you're gonna wake everyone up!" Jovanni snapped at him, and it seemed to be effective for a few moments before Thomas started to sing absentmindedly and loudly. "Whatever, let's just go already."

* * *

Jovanni parked in the driveway of what Thomas had told him was his house, but he was unsure if the man knew exactly what he was saying. It took him a few moments to pull the drifting Thomas out from the passenger seat, helping him towards the door before knocking on it.

"Who is it?" A bright, though tired voice called out. The voice itself caused Thomas to smile warmly, though just a tad, and he watched as the door was pushed open.

As the door opened up, Jovanni watched as a somewhat pudgy, short woman stepped out into the hot evening. She had slate gray hair that brushed along her shoulders, which had been covered by a dark purple night gown that extended to her feet. She looked at Jovanni curiously with her bright blue eyes, her head tilting slightly.

"Uh, ma'am, here's your husband." Jovanni stammered, patting Thomas on the head before moving him towards the door. "He earned a raise at work and well, uh, we decided to celebrate! He said he wasn't much of a drinker, but I convinced him, and, well… this is kinda my fault, sorry!"

Alice grumbled for a moment before grinning, though her face flushed to a bright red as she took Thomas carefully, slowly pulling him towards the open door.

"Th-thank you! He got a raise, huh? That's great, thank you for taking him home! I was really worried!" Alice said innocently before biting her bottom lip, bowing to Jovanni before she slipped into her home. "Well, goodnight! Thank you again!"

"No problem!" Jovanni waved as she shut the door, prompting him to turn back to the borrowed vehicle as he yawned. "What a lucky dude, married to such a nice girl. I didn't expect him to have such a boring life!"

* * *

The morning came rather quickly, at least to Thomas Lowell. He opened up his eyes as his head started to pound, though his jaw dropped when he saw what a mess his bedroom had become – it was as if a freight train ran through it.

He turned over to see Alice sitting on the edge of the bed, her hand moving towards his chest. He looked rather confused, barely paying her wandering fingers any mind as he ran his own through his short hair.

"Uh… did we…?" Thomas trailed off as his eyes met with Alice's, which seemed rather wanting and seductive now that he thought about it, though she merely nodded in response. "You do realize that since I'm sober now, we're gonna have to do it again, right?"

"Of course!"

* * *

Gabriel Jarvis awoke in the early hours of the morning, taking all the time in the world to straighten his suit, though no matter what he did, his tie would still stubbornly bend to the left. But he would be damned if he let his clothes get the best of him!

His ears perked up as a heavy knock met with the front side of his door. "Gabriel, you ready yet? You're taking way too long to get ready and I haven't even told you what your mission is!" Dalimil barked.

"A man at work must always look professional sir." Gabriel pressed the tie against his chest firmly, smirking as it remained straight. "I am coming, please, be patient!"

Gabriel opened the door to his room, shooting a calm smile to the impatient Dalimil who had been tapping his feet against the wooden floor. He pulled Gabriel out into the hallway, unintelligibly grumbling as he did so.

"Here's the information you're gonna need then." Dalimil started, leaning against the drywall as he did so. "Have you seen or at least heard of the casino that just opened up in town a few weeks ago?"

"Yes, it is called the House Of The Rising Sun, is it not?" Gabriel questioned, which led to his boss nodding. "Does my assignment have something to do with it?"

"Yeah, I need you to interrogate, or at least interview, the owner." Dalimil said, watching as Gabriel slipped a notepad and a pen out from his dark blue dress pants, immediately jotting down the older man's instructions. "There have been a few reports from our own men that he's been talking with some Supernova members. I want you to disguise yourself as one of them and learn what they were doing there. Does that sound like something you can do?"

"Yes, I believe so. I can manage a Russian accent as well, so this will prove to be rather easy for me, I assure you." Gabriel stated as he walked towards the lobby of the complex, a mysterious green robe forming in his hands. "I will head there immediately. I shall call you when my job is finished, does that sound satisfactory to you?"

"Knock 'em dead." Dalimil shot him a thumbs up before Gabriel wrapped the green robe around his body, pushing the front doors open with his shoulder as a bright yellow glow emanated from his slender body.

The robe dissipated as Gabriel made his way to the sidewalk, and his appearance had changed completely. He seemed to have gained a few pounds, and he had become bald. On top of this, his face became a little fatter, and his outfit changed as well. He had now been wearing a white dress shirt that had been covered by a black blazer, which went decently with his newly formed blue jeans.

 _Gemini allows me to change my appearance with little limit, it just depends if the fellow running the House Of The Rising Sun buys it. Men and women who own casinos are often rather smart, so I should not underestimate them. They are working with the enemy, so therefore, they are my enemy as well._ Gabriel thought to himself before he moved forward, smirking as he did so.

* * *

Gabriel arrived at the front of the casino, which seemed to be rather deserted. He knocked on the front door calmly, admittedly not expecting an immediate answer, though this assumption was proven false when the doorknob twisted and the door opened slowly.

An unfamiliar man dressed in a fedora, a dark grey vest that covered his white button up shirt, and black dress pants stared straight at him. Gabriel kept his cool however, though he did not expect this man to answer.

"What do you want?" November asked coldly, one hand remaining in his pocket as he leaned against the door's frame. "We've got some important business going on right now, so this better be good or you can piss off, grunt."

"I am new, and I was told to come here for initiation." Gabriel spoke in a thick Russian accent without pause, much to his pleasure. He had drastically improved in his deception abilities. "Or was it a joke? I do not know the boss very well."

"I don't know anything about initiation, but if you were ordered to come here from the big guy upstairs, then I don't think I can stop you." November stated, moving into the casino to allow Gabriel further entry. "Atriark is in his office, I'll bring you there. What's your name?"

"Thank you. My name is Denis Germogen." Gabriel said politely through his fake accent, which appeared to have no holes in it. This strange man seemed to buy into his lies, which was enough for him.

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Abel November, but you can just call me by my last name." November tipped his hat to him before turning around, leading Gabriel towards the staircase that led to the second floor. "He's kind of a stick in the mud, so I don't think I can blame you if he pisses you off."

Armed guards littered each and every room, and they all seemed to monitor Gabriel's every single move. It did not unsettle him, as he expected something of this caliber. Did the owner of this casino really fear the opposing gangs this much?

"I'll keep that in mind, the bastard won't think twice." Gabriel replied, though he felt disgusted at his own words. This was such a rotten role to play. "Let's get this shit over with, then."

November led him up the stairs at a moderate pace, the sharply dressed man leading him into a room that had red velvet carpet spread throughout the entirety of it. It was a rather large office, and at the end of the room was a man with half of his face hidden by his scarlet hair, pen in hand.

"Hello, my name is Atriark, welcome to the House Of The Rising Sun." Atriark spoke rather flatly, his singular eye meeting with Gabriel's makeshift ones. "I was not told that a guest was coming, but I suppose Mister Arkadi often springs surprises on me from time to time. Who am I to say no to a visitor?"

"Yeah, of course." Gabriel nodded, though that was not a name he had heard before. Mister Arkadi? It may have been a good idea to look into that later. "I was sent here for a test so I can join Supernova. What do you got for me?"

"I suppose I can whip something up." Atriark smirked as he slipped out of his leather chair, his feet carrying him towards the center of the room – he snapped his fingers, and a wooden table with two wooden chairs and a set of checkers appeared. "We will play a game of checkers. If you can defeat me, then you will be allowed entry. But first, answer me this. Are you aware of the drug trafficking that goes in this city because of Supernova? You must know that it is unforgivable."

"Whatever! It brings in money, so who gives a shit?" Gabriel scoffed, though he nearly cringed at this bullshit that fell from his mouth. "Let's get this over with, I'll kick your ass in two seconds!"

"Oh?" Atriark grinned as he sat down, one of his legs crossing over the other. "Well, I'll tell you a secret, then. I've never been defeated in any game, so you will need all the luck you can gather. I see you are not too surprised by my Stand, either. This will prove to be rather interesting. Shall we commence?"

"Yeah, let's go!"

November rolled his eyes and stood by the open door, his arms crossed while he stood guard, watching for anyone suspicious. "Better make it quick, I might get hungry. I'm not too excited about staying here for a few hours just to watch you play some kiddy game."

* * *

Parker sat in the rough hospital bed, though it did not bother him much. He was grateful that he had been allowed to rest instead of taking a dirt nap on the side of the road, but that was the least of his concerns.

His entire body throbbed in pain, but his searing anger nearly numbed it. He saw that blonde-haired blat somewhere before, and he couldn't even catch any of their names! Did he and the girl have Stands, too? Or were they just lackeys that that man had hired for protection?

 _No, he's too honorable. He wouldn't wanna gang up on me, which was probably why he ran…_ Parker thought to himself, placing a hand on his chin as he sighed deeply. _Damn kid, I'm gonna have to put him in his place when I run into him again._

Parker sighed as he attempted to ignore the stinging pain in his leg, which was in even worse condition because of the fall he took. His subordinate had broken his left arm, so he would not be returning home for a few weeks, but Parker would be damned if he waited around any longer. He desperately needed to catch that man, even if it cost him his limbs.

* * *

Gabriel could feel his cold sweat drip off of his chin and hit his jeans, his hair nearly stuck to his face as he stared down at the checkers board. Atriark had managed to completely corner him in the first round, and Gabriel was completely caught off guard – he was so sure he made all the right moves, he took several minutes to make each move! He had to wipe his eyes after every turn, his panicked sweat starting to blind him.

"You must not want to join as badly as you say you do." Atriark spoke, prompting Gabriel to look towards him with widened eyes. "I had hoped you would be a challenge for me, but I suppose that was simply wishful thinking. How does making this match three rounds sound to you? It would give you another shot."

"Y-yeah, that sounds good to me." Gabriel gulped as he moved two of his fingers towards his only remaining checker piece, though he stopped himself. "I've lost this round, I think. That sucks, heh."

"You're a good sport, I'm surprised. You seemed like a brute before the game started." Atriark chuckled as he pulled his pieces back, moving to rearrange them in their original order. "If I win this round, you have no hope of joining Supernova. Are you ready?"

Gabriel copied Atriark and placed his red checker pieces back to how they were originally set, and he could feel his thumping heart sink further into his chest. "Yeah, I'm ready. Bring it on!"

The passing of time seemed painfully slow to Gabriel, who found himself stuck in the exact same situation that Atriark had trapped him in during their first game. If his eyes were not fooling him, he swore he could see his face molded into his checker pieces – his original face, at that.

"Hm, this is rather interesting." Atriark whispered as he leaned towards Gabriel's end of the board, his eyes scanning his checker pieces. "My Stand reflects not just my soul, but the soul of my opponent as well. This is not your face, so this is quite strange… tell me, are you who you say you are?"

Gabriel did not answer him, though he watched as Atriark stood up out of his seat – he felt something sinister emanating from the room's exit. Gabriel moved out of his seat and made his way towards the exit, though he felt something cold press against his side.

November's eyes widened, his handgun pressed against Gabriel's side. He seemed just as surprised, as he did not intend to take aim or even murder this man. Was this the power of Atriark's Stand? He couldn't even manage to pull his weapon away!

"What the hell is going on here?" November grunted as his finger neared the trigger, though he looked to see Atriark, who simply sighed.

"Take care of him, will you?"

Gabriel heard the sound of a gunshot before he felt the flesh in his side rip apart, a bullet lodging itself in his body as he cried in agony, his body falling over as blood pooled beneath him. Almost as if against November's will, he kicked Gabriel down the stairs, whose disguise had started to fade.

"You lost the moment you decided to challenge me." Atriark spoke, loud enough for the injured man to hear him. "The face that appeared on the checkers proved that this was an attempt to smuggle information, and Mister Arkadi would never send someone here without telling me beforehand. You were fated to die from the start."

Despite the pain, Gabriel pulled his cell phone out from his pocket, which luckily was not damaged by the gunshot. Desperately, he dialed Dalimil's number and pressed the phone to his ear, though he could hear footsteps marching towards him.

His call was answered. "Gabriel, is that you? Did you do what I told you to do?"

"Y-yes, sir." Gabriel coughed, his chest heaving now. "I hate to rain on your parade, but it appears that I'm finished."

"What are you talking about?!"

Gabriel's eyes shifted towards the stairway to see November pointing his handgun between his eyes, steadily aiming.

"Remember the name November, I'm at the House Of The Rising Sun-" Gabriel would have finished, though he was cut short as his assailant fired once more, striking him between the eyes. He dropped his phone as the last bit of his life slipped away from his body.

"Gabriel? GABRIEL?!" Dalimil barked, though it had ended as November embedded the cellphone with a bullet as well.

"Why did you make me do that?!" November shouted at Atriark, pointing his weapon towards the man who showed little to no emotion. "What kind of Stand do you even have?!"

"Because, he was a liar. He tried to steal information, do you not understand?" Atriark shrugged. "My Stand, House Of The Rising Sun, can control probability. Try to shoot me, you will see."

November did this in the very next second, the bullet whizzing past Atriark and breaking the window behind him. He looked at his handgun and slipped it back into his vest, his eyes shaking as he stepped backwards two or three times.

"I will have my guards dispose of his body, but you may want to watch out. Whoever he was talking to heard your name." Atriark spoke before moving back to his desk, not paying any mind to November who simply stared down at Gabriel's lifeless body.

"I think I'm gonna go get a drink." November murmured before stepping over the body, staring down at the floor as he slipped his hands into his pockets. Had he just killed an innocent man against his own will? "This couldn't possibly get any worse."

* * *

As the day passed, Dalimil continued to try and reach Gabriel, but it seemed that luck was not on his side. He did not want to assume the worst, but the thought of his comrade possibly being hurt or killed kept invading his mind.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, he finally decided to Jovanni, Joanne, and Walker to the complex's lobby. He stood in the middle of it, completely silent, until Jovanni snapped his fingers in front of his face.

"Dalimil, wake up! What the fuck is wrong, man?" Jovanni asked, though his response was met with an open palm instead of a barked order – this proved that something was wrong, and it only made the young man feel slightly ill from the worry.

"I don't know how to tell you this, but…" Dalimil stopped for a moment, covering his mouth before shaking his head. "I sent Gabriel out on a mission, and he called not too long ago… God forgive me if I'm wrong, but he might be dead."

"You really think so?" Jovanni asked, frowning as he stepped towards Dalimil. "Did he tell you anything that could be important? We need to find whoever he was fighting."

"I don't think he would fight, his Stand isn't exactly the strongest… besides, he isn't the type to pick fights with anyone. How could anyone see through his disguise, though?" Joanne wondered aloud, turning to see Walker who seemed to be frozen.

"How could anyone kill a man like him? He always looked out for me even though I was and still am a rookie." Walker spoke, his bottom lip quivering as he clenched both of his fists. "Tell me what happened Dalimil, someone needs to pay for this!"

"NO!" Dalimil screamed, which effectively caused him to flinch. "I will NOT have anyone else die today, do you hear me?! We need to think carefully and look at our options!"

"Well, lay them out." Jovanni said, his body shaking slightly as he absorbed the news into his mind, which was trying to push any possibility of Gabriel's death away. "He's probably still alive, they probably took him in for questioning… so hit me with what you got, old man."

"He told me he was at the House Of The Rising Sun, and he told me to remember someone named November. I think that means whoever killed him was named November, but how do you think we should find him? It's entirely possible he doesn't have a Stand, but we have to be cautious." Dalimil rubbed his chin, scanning his comrades as they attempted to form a solution or some sort of plan.

"What if we ask around town? November isn't really a common name, and I'm sure that at least someone has heard his name before. We're bound to run into a friend." Joanne proposed, which led Jovanni to nod in agreement. "He might just be apart of Supernova, too."

"I'll check out some of the hotels. If he murdered someone, he's probably trying to lay low, so he might be in a run down hotel or something." Jovanni said and then looked towards Walker, who was still frozen in place. "What do you think he should do, Dalimil?"

"When he calms down, I want him to look into the casino." Dalimil stated matter-of-factly, placing a firm hand on Walker's shoulder. "It's only right. I'll look around town with Joanne to try and find clues, so call if you need any help. Are you sure you can do this alone, Walker?"

"Yeah, I can do it." Walker murmured before turning around, a slight chill running throughout his body before he continued. "We should do it tomorrow… do you agree with me, boss?"

"You're right, let's wait until tomorrow. We can't afford to let our anger get in the way." Dalimil said in agreement, making his way towards his room with Walker by his side. "Both of you, get some rest. You're gonna need it for tomorrow."

Jovanni nodded and then turned to Joanne, who had been staring at the wooden floor for a while. She suddenly looked up at the young man, snapping out of the daze she had placed herself in.

"Sorry, I just… do you really think he's alive, JoJo? Those Russians are the kind to shoot and ask questions later…" Joanne said, though this was merely met with a thumbs up.

"He's alive, I'm damn sure. Gabriel's tough, he wouldn't let some Russian shithead kill him that easily, so just hold onto whatever hope ya got, alright?" Jovanni grinned before making his way towards his room, though he felt a twinge of guilt resonate throughout his slender frame.

"If you say so…"

* * *

Later that evening, Parker had managed to return back to his office, and was pleased to see everything was where he left it. His pistol had been returned, his pens were sticking out from his coffee cup, and the rest of it was littered with documents.

His subordinate remained in the hospital while he returned to work, which he seemed surprisingly fine with. Though, despite the pain that had been amplified due to the fall, he could feel rage well up in his heart.

"I'll tear this entire city apart until I find them, I swear to god…" Parker mumbled to himself as he shoved papers into his desk messily in an attempt to clean his wooden desk. "Stand or no Stand, I'm bringing that fucker in. It's my duty to uphold the law, and he'll be eating concrete when I'm fucking done with him!"

* * *

November felt as if he could still feel Atriark's cold, emotionless grip on his soul. A Stand that could control probability must have been one of the most horrifying things he had faced in his life, and now he knew that someone would come looking for him. For revenge.

He couldn't let that happen, he needed to keep working until he found a solution for the problem that had been eating away at him during his every waking moment. He loaded his shotgun carefully, and then his handgun, though he did not feel too excited at the promise of conflict – if anything, he was dreading the inevitable knock at his door.

But he would be ready for them, rain or shine.


	4. Who You Selling For?

Just the other day, Gabriel Jarvis was among his friends and comrades, discussing arbitrary things and the mission that Jovanni Joestar had been set out on with Joanne Sybella. He had made friends with Walker Porcelli, and not too long after, he had met Thomas Lowell who must have been the sweetest man he had ever met.

But his life's flame had flickered out unexpectedly, and now it was up to his friends to discover who this mysterious November was. He was clearly the man responsible for Gabriel's death, and he was hiding somewhere within Miami.

Jovanni Joestar was beyond determined to find him and make him pay for what he had done, but he knew he would suffer if he let his emotions blind his actions, and that must have been the worst part of it all. Jovanni knew very well that this was a killing industry, but he also knew that he was stuck within the inner workings of the endless and senseless violence. All he could do was make himself comfortable and brace for impact.

He was no stranger to conflict or death, but this time it felt far too familiar. He was certainly hurting, but he would be damned if he let this pain consume him from the inside out. Jovanni Joestar could clearly remember the day he lost his parents to gang violence, which was what propelled him towards War Machine in the first place.

Dalimil raised him after he had turned sixteen, and he had been quite the angry child. During his first firefight, his Stand had awoken and saved him from the fate both of his parents had met. He had made it his goal to defend Miami from Supernova, and for all he knew, they had just shown up out of no where one day. At least, that's how Dalimil explained it to him.

If he would remember anything that Dalimil told him, it would be something simple but it was also something that most people would not think about: dying is easy, living is harder. He had to remember this and cherish his life, even during battle.

It was at least fifteen minutes before noon, but Jovanni could feel the heat beating down on him relentlessly. He had hoped this would not deter him if he met this 'November', but at this point, he believed that not even God could keep him from completing his mission.

Jovanni Joestar attempted to shake these thoughts from his mind as he made his way down the street, set on finding this man. He was almost too sure that he was in a run-down hotel that had been rather close to War Machine's base of operations, he would not want to be too obvious if he was really working for Supernova. He had received no calls from Dalimil, so they must have found nothing that would aid him in his search.

There was a hotel named Prism Resort, but it was anything but – it wasn't too shabby, but it was not exactly the best place to get your money's worth. It had decent food, the customer service was subpar, but the building was sturdy and the beds were rather comfortable.

Jovanni made his way to the hotel, which looked plain from the outside. White brick with a large sign that said PRISM in bright, sky blue letters plastered on the highest floor. Without a moment of hesitation, he pushed the front doors open and carefully stepped inside of the lobby.

"Hello, how may I help you sir?" The receptionist asked, shooting a polite smile towards Jovanni who moved towards the counter at a brisk pace.

"I'm looking for someone named November, do they stay in this hotel?" Jovanni asked rather nicely, leaning against the counter as he awaited an answer.

"U-uh, no sir." The receptionist stammered, her innocent blue eyes widening at the very mention of that name. "I, uh, don't think so."

Jovanni smirked. He was able to pull an answer out of that, easily being able to figure out that his stay in Prism Resort was meant to be private. Though, now he would have to rent a room in order to search the place for him. There was no way in hell this receptionist was about to tell him private, detailed information that could potentially endanger a valued customer.

"I'll go ahead and rent a room for the night then, sweetheart. Sorry to bother you." Jovanni said, shrugging with a forced smile. She only nodded and pushed the hotel's registry to him, handing him a pen as well.

Jovanni quickly scribbled down 'John Doe' onto the registry, which would earn him a suspicious glare from the receptionist. He severely doubted that they would kick out anyone that was willing to pay, so he held out his hand before she dropped a single key in his palm.

"Room twelve, sir." The receptionist said rather flatly, though Jovanni gave her a thumbs up and made his way towards the first room.

Jovanni asked a few of the residents, though most of them had told him that they had no idea who he was talking about, which was believable. Either that or they were good liars, but he liked to believe that they were being honest out of their ignorance.

Though, a kind woman at the very end of the hall had informed him that November was on the second floor, first door to the right. He shook her hand and thanked her several times, to the point where she questioned him what was wrong – which was nothing, he was simply happy and grateful for her help.

Jovanni slowly made his way to the second floor, gripping his revolver that was placed snugly in his left pocket. Once he made his way to the man's supposed room, he could see that the door was cracked open every so slightly.

"Come in." An unfamiliar voice penetrated the tense atmosphere, the Joestar's heart beating harder with every passing second. He pushed the door open, immediately pointing his revolver at the man who had been sitting on his bed. This had to be the man that he was looking for, he even had a similar revolver locked In his grip.

"Are you November?" Jovanni asked through clenched teeth, his trigger finger barely quivering despite the situation he had found himself in. "Were you expecting me or something, douchebag?"

"I was expecting someone, so I guess you could say I was." November said before reaching over to his fedora, donning it as he stood up slowly. "You want me to come with you? There are civilians here, and I'm sure the cops would find us pretty easily."

"You're pretty damn thoughtful for a piece of shit that killed my friend." Jovanni spoke coldly, though he felt more strange than angry. Blood was boiling and coursing through his veins, but he felt as if he shot and killed this man here, then everything would be over. "Where do you think we're gonna go to settle this, then?"

"Yeah, I killed that man. You got me, but, even if I told you what happened it's not like you'd buy it." November sighed as he looked to Jovanni, revealing bags upon bags that rested under his eyes. "Just follow me, we'll be there in half an hour if we're quick on our feet."

"Lead the way, then." Jovanni growled as he pocketed his revolver, only comfortable with doing so because November had done the same. "Let's hope you don't get hit by a fucking car on the way."

* * *

Jovanni followed November from behind rather closely, and it took every ounce of pride mixed with his courage to not shoot him in the back of the head and run. He would not sink as low as he did, shooting a man who could barely protect himself with his own Stand. Did that mean this man was a Stand user? Gabriel was always incredibly careful when he was behind enemy lines, so the fact that someone could kill him, Stand user or not, was baffling.

November stopped in front of what seemed to be an empty house, which was made clear by the sign by the door that had said FOR SALE in bold red letters. The house itself seemed to be decently sized, and there was probably quite a few places Jovanni could duck for cover – though, while he was forming strategies in his mind, he could not help but wonder what November was thinking. The latter turned to Jovanni once they made their way to the front door, his icey gaze almost vacant.

"No one lives around this part of Miami, so if anyone hears us it'll take a bit for the cops to get here. So you should kill me quickly if you're really so determined to take me out." November said mockingly before shoving the door open, disappearing into the darkness.

Jovanni followed after a few moments, drawing his revolver before shutting the door behind him. He aimed, his finger on the trigger once he saw that November was on the opposite end of the room, which was somewhat large.

It could fit a television set, two leather couches and one leather chair. Several paintings adorned the walls, and the sunlight broke in through the closed shades. Lucky for them, they were not lost in a pitch black void.

Jovanni's hateful gaze met with November's almost apologetic stare, each of their trigger fingers itching to fire – and so they did.

Future Heart materialized and caught the bullet before it could penetrate its user's throat, tossing it aside before looking towards November, who had a mysterious figure materialize by him as well.

The being was rather tall, surpassing its user's height. Its skin was a dark blue color, and along its chest, from its sternum to above its crotch was an enormous mouth with rigid teeth spread throughout it. It held a ball gag in its mouth that resembled an eyeball, and it had a shackle locked around its neck. Its hands seemed to be tied by a dark blue cloth as well. It also had long blue hair with tiny beads embedded into the sides of it faces. Its skin was strangely bruised, and it seemed to have three large rings floating around it. One was around its chest, the second around its knees, and the third was the largest, and it was placed around its hips.

The Stand quickly jerked to the left, deflecting the bullet rather effectively. It shot into the blinds and out the window, the sound of glass shattering filling the air. Their first strikes may have been ineffective, but at least Jovanni's suspicions were confirmed now.

"You're a Stand user." Jovanni said matter-of-factly, his aim remaining steady despite the sight of November's Stand unsettling him slightly. "Should've known it wouldn't be that easy. It's a shame you can't use its hands. How are you ever gonna punch me in the face for being a prick now?"

"Even when you've lost a friend, you somehow manage to talk shit." November grumbled, moving backwards until his back met with a closed door. "Humiliation just needs to get close to you and you're finished. I didn't expect you to have a Stand, either… I keep running into people like you."

"If my boss taught me anything, it's that Stand users attract one another." Jovanni added, stepping forward as his amber eyes focused on November. "I've been fighting against you assholes for twelve years, don't expect an easy fight. But… something's not right. You're not Russian. Why did you kill Gabriel, then?"

"What I do is none of your concern." November stated calmly, though he would be lying if he said he was not shaking in his boots because of the tense atmosphere that clung to his shoulders. "You'll have to beat what you want to know out of me, you thug. Having a Stand means nothing, not on the battlefield, and certainly not anywhere else."

Jovanni did not bother to dignify that claim with a response; instead, he darted forward and threw his Stand's clenched fist forward, his index finger still resting on the trigger of his revolver.

November fired towards Future Heart's fist, though it merely grazed the side of it. The menacing Stand shot its fist towards November's gut, only for Humiliation to turn its back and take the hit for its shocked user.

Jovanni's eyes narrowed towards November's revolver, prompting him to reach over and attempt to wrestle it out of his grip, his fingers attempting to pry his stubborn grip open. Humiliation threw itself towards Jovanni, its maw wide and dripping wet – though, Future Heart's fists met with the side of its head, blowing it back a few feet.

November grunted, his own fist meeting with Jovanni's mouth – though this would not push the young man away by any means. Jovanni swiftly reached forward and grabbed the older man by the throat, slamming him into the closed door behind him, the hard slam shook the house which caused a few paintings to drop from the white walls.

Future Heart materialized and opened its palm in front of November's face, though the man managed to force his own Stand to headbutt the enemy's hand, the incoming rapid fire filling the carpet below with lead.

November pushed the door open, his eyes surveying the layout of the room for a moment – he was inside the kitchen, which was practically a minefield if this bastard knew where to look for deadly tools.

Jovanni followed, panting heavily all the while. He could see that his target was doing the same, his chest heaving as Humiliation moved in front of him, the ring around its chest suddenly detaching and zipping towards the Joestar.

"Shit!" Jovanni grunted as Future Heart held its hand out, attempting to catch the spinning ring; but, this effort proved to be fruitless. He could see that the outer side of the ring served as a blade, causing him to recoil once it sliced his hand open.

Future Heart stubbornly grabbed the ring, its user grunting before it managed to toss the spinning ring back towards Humiliation, which merely allowed it to reattach to its body, but that was not the end of Jovanni's attack by any means.

Bullets shot out from Future Heart's bleeding palm, each of them landing and embedding into Humiliation's dark blue body. Its screams were muffled as it took the hits head on, causing November to attempt to fire at Jovanni.

Jovanni dived to the floor, aiming his own revolver towards November's foot. He pulled the trigger, smirking as the spinning lead met with his target, nearly causing Abel to fall over in agony – but, somehow, he kept his balance.

"Goddamn it!" November growled, grinding his teeth as he backed up. The pain in his foot was nothing compared to what he had experienced beforehand, he was more irritated at how determined and persistent this young man seemed to be. "You're way more trouble than you're worth, kid!"

"Looks like I got you to speak up!" Jovanni mocked before sprinting towards the distraught November, his Stand's fists suddenly connecting with his torso. "Eat shit, you fucker!"

"ORORORORORORORORORO!" Future Heart cried as its fists repeatedly bashed into November's tall frame, a few of his bones cracking from the impact of the Stand's blows. With a final punch, it sent him flying across the kitchen, a wail of agony straining his lungs as he crashed into the counter.

Jovanni sighed before walking over to the man, revolver in hand – wait, was that a grunt? Was this man still conscious despite the beating he had taken? He froze for a moment, gasping as he felt a sharp pain shoot through his hand.

He cried in pain, looking to November to see that he had fired a bullet into his hand. Despite this, Jovanni jerked forward and kicked Abel's revolver out of his firm grip, causing the man to gasp in shock.

Jovanni would attempt to return the favor, but he coughed violently as November's shaking fist met with the bottom of his chin. He stepped back, dropping his own revolver before he leaned against the kitchen table.

"You hit like a truck." Jovanni groaned, panting heavily as he watched November prop himself up on the counter. "You took a beating like that head on… you're really fucking good, aren't you?"

"I'm not weak by any means, but I'm sure you know that by now." November spat, a small drop of blood mixed with saliva landing next to his shoe. "I'm surprised that you're not out cold right now. I've been hitting as hard as I can. Where did a punk like you learn to fight?"

"My old man taught me." Jovanni said, slowly catching his breath before he continued to speak. "I've been fighting these Russian assholes for twelve years and I've learned a lot from it. I've broken bones, nearly died so many fucking times, but it only made me stronger."

"So you're no different from Supernova's members. That's a damn shame." November shook his head, Humiliation materializing by his side as he slowly approached the injured Jovanni. "You had fire in your eyes, but I guess you didn't get past the phase where you thought fighting could get you through everything life would throw at you. You're still just a kid, you're not even my equal. You're just as much as a brute as Arkadi is."

"YOU LISTEN HERE!" Jovanni shouted, suddenly throwing himself forward. Future Heart pulled November up by his shirt collar, slamming him against the refrigerator. "I'm nothing like them! WE'RE nothing like them! If you value breathing, you better not fucking repeat that! I won't deny that this is a gang and that we break the law, but we're going to do some real good for this world, you asshole!"

Jovanni's punch rocketed into November's gut once he dropped him, his free hand grabbing him by his unkempt black hair, yanking on it. November groaned and attempted to break free, but it seemed as if it was pointless to try and do so.

"Mark my damn WORDS! Our gang will leave hope burned into this planet's core! That hope will remain there for generations to come, and they'll know to never give up even when the odds are stacked against them. Even when they're outgunned and outnumbered, they'll know that someone cared enough to make a change. They'll look back on the men and women who had fallen for them so that they could live happy lives, and hell, if I died for them... then they'll know that it was a life well spent! That's what Jovanni Joestar is all about! THAT'S WAR MACHINE!"

Jovanni let go of the older man's hair, though his fist rammed into his face repeatedly, blood spurting out from Abel November's mouth. The latter grunted audibly before ducking, effectively dodging the incoming blow - and then his head crashed into Jovanni's chest, an ache running through it immediately.

November nearly bit his tongue when Jovanni reached down and pulled him up by his collar once more, but he did not start speaking as he expected – instead, he nearly yelped in pain as the young man bashed his head against his own repeatedly.

"I got you where I want you." November smirked as Humiliation suddenly phased into existence, its maw wide as it closed in on Jovanni. "Whatever Humiliation eats never comes back out, so good luck punching its mouth!"

Jovanni quickly pushed November away, though his Stand did not seem too bothered by this as it leaped towards its prey, muffled screaming emitting from its head. In a moment of desperation, Future Heart grabbed a wooden chair at the kitchen table and attempted to place it in Humiliation's maw, maybe that would delay it for a few moments.

Humiliation merely bit down, the chair splitting into several pieces as it fell into the monstrous Stand's maw. A wave of relief fell over November as he sighed in a satisfied manner, though he still seemed a little banged up.

"Thanks for that snack." November said before popping his neck, wiping off the blood underneath his mouth with his sleeve. "I'm able to heal a little if my Stand manages to eat something, so you shouldn't throw anything at me if you want your hits to matter at all."

"Stop bragging and fight, you prick!" Jovanni demanded, his Future Heart striving to grab the shackle around Humiliation's neck. "I'll strangle you to death if I have to!"

Suddenly, the ring around its chest detached and moved to make an attempt to cut into Future Heart's wrist – luckily, this was avoided as the Stand managed to grab the inner side of the ring, mustering up all the force inside of its body to shove it into its chest.

"Let go you little fuck!" November shouted, but that shout transformed into a gasp as a gash formed on his chest, effectively cutting into his vest with ease. "Urgh… goddamn it!"

Jovanni would have sliced deeper into his flesh if it weren't for the fact that he had lost control of the ring, which returned to its owner and slipped around it as if it was looking for safety. Without bothering to look towards Abel, his Stand's fist soared toward Humiliation's head.

Humiliation rammed its hulking body against Future Heart, the sheer force of the attack causing Jovanni to fall onto the wooden kitchen table he had been leaning on, his head meeting with the wall behind him.

"Shit!" Jovanni grasped the side of his aching head, though he nearly screamed as he felt cold steel thrust into his side which had been combined with an unfamiliar pressure; he turned, seeing that November was wielding a pocket knife, the tip of it digging into his skin. "GET OFF!"

"Keep your mouth shut, lie still, and accept defeat already!" November growled as his slender blade sunk deeper into the young man's body, though he stopped once he heard Jovanni chuckle. "What are you laughing at?!"

"Heh heh… because, you're in no position to defend yourself!" Jovanni howled as his body strained, his Stand delivering a fierce punch to November's nose. Jovanni used both of his feet to kick Abel off of his slender body, though his blade remained in his side.

November slowly picked himself up, every single breath he took coming out as a strained wheeze. His vision shook and nearly darkened for a moment, but he shook his head. He would _not_ fall here, he already promised himself that he would make it back to his hotel room alive.

"Damn it, I can't even use my Stand if I don't wanna die." November coughed, clenching his fists as he stared at Jovanni, each of his eyes twitching. "How the hell are you still standing? Are you even human?"

"I'm just a resilient bastard, don't lose your mind yet…" Jovanni felt his body nearly go numb, though he winced as he pulled the pocket knife out of his side. He had to make every single moment matter, he couldn't afford to even think about giving in.

November took the initiative and reached forward, grabbing a handful of Jovanni's long blond hair with a tight grasp, his fingers nearly slipping as he felt an uncomfortable lump form in his throat. He forced Jovanni's face to meet with his knee, blood spewing out from his nose while he took each hit without making a single sound.

November's body froze as soon as Jovanni stabbed the pocket knife into the side of his knee, causing him to lose his grip on the young gang member – coupled with this attack was a kick to the injury, forcing November to fall onto one knee.

"If only I knew where my fucking gun was!" Jovanni whined as he slowly bent down, slapping November across the face with an open palm. "That's gonna leave a mark. Are you done yet, asshole? Tell me what I need to know!"

"It's like I said…" November murmured before grabbing Jovanni by the back of the head, banging his face against the floor. "… even if I told you everything, you wouldn't believe me! My word is worth jack shit!"

"I don't believe you!" Jovanni yelled, his voice muffled as he reached towards November's collar, yanking him to the floor as well. He picked himself up and sat on November's stomach, staring down at him, his eyes filled with animosity. "You're gonna have to try a lot harder to get rid of me!"

Jovanni's feet pushed down on November's arms, his fists repeatedly meeting with separate parts of his face – and this went on and on for several minutes, blood coating his sore knuckles as he refused to listen to his opponent's desperate cries for help.

Once November fell unconscious – or, maybe he was dead. It was hard to tell since his face was caked in fresh blood. Jovanni pulled himself off of November, leaning against the wall as he coughed into his hand, blood dripping out of his mouth.

Jovanni's heart nearly jumped out of his chest when the front door opened, and he desperately wanted to find his revolver immediately – but his body was completely devoid of any energy, so he merely watched it open.

"JoJo, are you in there?!" Thomas called out as he stepped into the kitchen, his eyes widening once he saw the injured Jovanni. He rushed forward instinctively, helping him stand up. "Here, rest on my shoulder. You took one hell of a beating, huh?"

"T-Thomas, how did you know where I was?" Jovanni asked weakly, his vision slowly turning black as he watched November's unconscious body twitch. "Thank you… he probably would have killed me if he woke up…"

"Dalimil told me to look for you at the Prism Resort if you didn't call him, so I did. The receptionist said that you had left, so I was searching around town for you. I guessed you wouldn't be around civilians, and I was right." Thomas informed him, though he shot him a relieved smile afterward. "We'll get you patched up, alright buddy? You really got your shit kicked in."

"Thanks for noticing." Jovanni said sarcastically with a roll his eyes, one of his hands gripping his stomach as he felt something rise up inside of him. "I'm gonna fucking vomit… I'm so damn angry, he didn't tell me shit."

"Just hold on, I'll have to get you _and_ him. We'll interrogate him when Dalimil gets back, I'm sure he'll want to keep the investigation going at the House Of The Rising Sun." Thomas told him, which earned him a nod. He opened his mouth to continue, but he was interrupted by a guttural cough.

"GUH!" November held his gut tightly as blood spilled out from his open maw, his throat burning. He felt a hard tug on the back of his vest, which led him to narrow his eyes. "What, are you gonna fucking kill me now?"

"You're still useful, so shut up and pass out like a good boy." Thomas said condescendingly, practically dragging him out of the kitchen while he helped Jovanni move. "When we get in my truck, you can sleep, JoJo. Does that sound good to you?"

"Y-yeah, that's great." Jovanni groaned, his vision fading in and out as he focused on the floor beneath him. "So does this mean you're one of us, Tommy?"

Thomas smirked. "I might as well be. Consider me a member."

* * *

"No sir, I have no clue where November could have gone. He hasn't answered any of my calls, and none of my guards have seen him in town." Atriark said calmly into his cell phone, his gaze nearly emotionless.

"The Stand user that heard his name must have found him. What a shame." Arkadi spoke rather dryly. "Oh well, there's nothing that can be done about it. He served us well for the time being… now, do you think anyone will be investigating your casino, Atriark?"

"If November has truly been killed, then I expect that they will come here to finish what they started. They know that their ally died here, so they probably already know that something about my palace is strange or unnerving. I will deal with them as I see fit, is that fine, sir?"

"Yes, go about your business as usual. Inform me if anything happens, I would love to know all about the progress you will make. Are we clear, Atriark?"

"Yes, very. Thank you for your time, sir." Atriark said as the phone call came to an end, prompting him to set his cell phone on his desk. "It is always so difficult to speak with him… though, I can't do much about it when there's a gun pressed to the back of my head at all times."

His ears perked slightly. Was that a knock at the door? He didn't want to dirty his hands, he wanted to focus on his business for the time being.

Though, an idea almost instantly formed inside of his brain. "Marvelous."

* * *

Walker knocked on the front door of the casino for at least five minutes, his patience wearing thin. He would be far too obvious if he barged in, and he would probably be shot down by any guards – so, he would attempt to pose as a tourist.

"Come on, I don't have all day…" Walker whispered to himself, quite irritated with how his plan was turning out. He instinctively jumped as he felt a tight grip latch onto each of his shoulders. "The fuck do you want?!"

And just like that, he was out cold.


	5. Sunny Disposition

Around the same time that November had been found out by Jovanni, Thomas Lowell had been sorting through his dirty laundry, oblivious to what was happening – though, that was until he received a call from a certain someone.

Thomas rushed through the house once he heard his cellphone ring incessantly, resulting in him clumsily pressing it against his ear after answering it in a terrible hurry. "H-hello, Thomas Lowell here! Who is this?"

"This is Dalimil Klement, you remember me, right?" Dalimil spoke rather lowly, his gruff voice quite familiar to Thomas's ears. "We're gonna need you, so I sure hope you don't have much to do today. There's something important I need to talk to you about."

"Yeah? Hit me with it, then." Thomas said, leaning against the wall as his casual demeanor shifted to something much more serious. "From the sound of your voice, you don't seem very happy."

"Gabriel was killed. We're going to start investigating around town for his supposed killer, who's apparently named November. Jovanni is going to go check out the Prism Resort, so do you think you could try and track him down if he doesn't call you? If he finds the bastard, they'll probably go somewhere away from people to settle the score." Dalimil told him, the influx of new information flooding into Thomas's brain at a steady pace.

"That's… a lot to take in." Thomas gulped, his breath shallow for a few moments but he would not allow his mind to drift away. "I'll do that, but are you holding up? If you need any more help, don't be afraid to ask-"

"That's fine, I'm fine. Thanks for your concern." Dalimil interrupted, his voice cracking for a split second. "I'm gonna head out with Joanne to try and find this fucker, but if you do come across him somehow, don't kill him. We're gonna interrogate his ass, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it." Thomas said, not pressing on the issue he had expressed beforehand. "Where are you going, though? I might have to track you down since you might get into trouble, since this city gets more dangerous every damn day."

"Just gonna look around the more shady parts of town, like some of the strip joints. Might check out the beach, specifically under the docks. It's a good opportunity to check out some of the reports that have come back to base, which have all said that that's where drug dealers meet with their ignorant customers. Poor shitheads, they have no idea what the hell they're getting into."

"It's really fucked up, that's for sure… well, in any case, if you need help be sure to hit me up. If I don't answer, then you probably know what's going on." Thomas told him, somewhat fearful of stepping outside since that officer was most likely still searching for him. "I'm gonna go ahead and look around town. If Jovanni doesn't call me in ten minutes, then I'll go look for him. I'll talk to you later, Dalimil."

"Good luck, Thomas. Stay safe."

Thomas ended the phone call and slid his cellphone into his pocket, wondering how he was going to justify it to his boss that he would be late to work, and he might have been late coming home as well if anything went awry. Either way, he really had his work cut out for him.

* * *

Dalimil Klement and Joanne Sybella had made their way to a male strip club, the former telling his comrade that reports had come in, claiming that Supernova had been using it for illegal drug trafficking for several weeks.

It was rather jarring to walk into the strip club after walking through the streets in broad daylight, however. The entirety of it had been a dark violet color, with a red glow emitting from each of the several platforms, including the bar which held what seemed to be a wide assortment of drinks, some of which were even foreign.

Dalimil and Joanne had entered looking for information on this November, and in the meantime, they wished to find some info on the illegal drug trafficking that had been running amok in Miami– though, they had not been gaining any new information so easily.

"I'm not lying to you! I don't know who you're talking about, so I can't help you there. But I can assure you that no one's been selling any of that crap here! What does it matter to you, anyway? You lookin' to spend your money here?" The bartender asked, leaning across the counter before his eyes shifted towards Joanne. "Or how about you, are you lookin' for a good time?"

"Don't change the subject, dipshit." Joanne insulted him, crossing her arms before slamming her open palm on the glass counter. "You better tell us, or I'm going to peel your goddamn dick like a banana! We know what's been going on back here, and if you don't want the cops on your ass then you'll tell us everything!"

"I, uh, don't know what you're talking about-"

The bartender gulped as the cold barrel of a revolver pressed against the bottom of his chin, causing him to instantly freeze up. He stared into Dalimil's unmoving eyes, sweat dripping down his face as the older man grabbed him by his shirt collar.

"If you stop lying and just tell us what we want to know, then we'll go ahead and leave. Don't make this any harder than it has to be." Dalimil spoke coldly, staring straight into the bartender's eyes. "Well? You gonna speak up or what?"

"F-fine, just don't call the cops!" The bartender begged, sighing deeply once Dalimil had pulled his weapon away. "A few of the guys that work here go into the bathroom to get stoned, but I don't sell the stuff, I swear! I'm not willing to get this place shut down by the fucking cops, so I haven't told them. It doesn't hurt my business or how much money I'm making, so I'm not stopping it! Are you happy now?!"

"Yeah." Dalimil stated before grabbing the bartender's slick black hair, slamming his head into the glass bar in front of him and effectively cracking it. "I'm happy that this place is gonna get shut down in a few hours. You're a real piece of shit."

The man had fallen unconscious upon impact, leaving Dalimil to turn his back to him and slide his revolver back into his pocket. With a shrug, he walked briskly towards the entrance of the strip joint without a single care for the man he had injured.

"I'll get the cops over here after our mission is over with." Joanne informed her boss, which earned her a slow nod. "Next is the beach, right?"

"Yeah, let's hurry over there before this place opens up. We don't wanna get caught in the middle of a shitstorm."

* * *

It had only taken the duo a matter of ten minutes to arrive at the beach, which was oddly empty. It was the weekend, so Dalimil had expected the place to be packed with people, but he wouldn't argue with these conditions. It would be much easier to work this way.

"I'll speak with the lifeguard, you can go ahead and survey the area. Does that sound good to you, Joanne?" Dalimil asked, which earned him a nod. "Alright. If something comes up, call me. Don't let your guard down, no matter what."

"Yeah, I got it." Joanne said, a spark flickering from her fingertips for a moment as she made her way towards the opposite side of the beach. "You do the same, okay? I feel a little uneasy, but maybe it's just because I'm so on edge."

"No, I feel it too." Dalimil reassured her, almost immediately drawing his revolver out from the holster attached to his pant leg. "Just remember that there's no challenge that we've been unable to overcome, alright? Even if your back is to the wall, just remember that and you'll be able to push through."

"Mhm. Thanks, boss." Joanne gave him a small, thankful smile before she had made her way to the west side of the beach.

* * *

Dalimil had made his way across the suspiciously quiet beach and to the lifeguard's office, his revolver close to his side as he put his ear to the outside wall of the building – nothing. It was absolutely silent, you would be able to hear a pen drop before anything else.

The windows were covered by blinds and the door was shut. Dalimil could feel sweat dripping down his chin as he extended his hand towards the doorknob, his fingers twitching nervously.

Dalimil twisted the doorknob and slowly pulled the wooden door open, pointing his revolver inside the room as he shut the door behind him – what he saw almost led him to yell for Joanne, but he kept himself quiet and pulled out his cellphone instead.

What he assumed to what used to be the lifeguard had been laying on the rough wooden floor of the building in a bloody heap. His limbs had been tied together, his eyes were gouged out and his throat had been slashed.

"Now, there's no need for that, Klement." An unfamiliar, feminine voice broke through the atmosphere, prompting Dalimil to run from the doorway and towards the end of the room. "Oh, did I scare you? I thought it was gonna take more to make the big bad leader of War Machine piss himself."

"What the fuck?!" Dalimil grunted as he looked towards the doorway, his eyes managing to capture a slim woman in their sights.

Pelagiya Akulina had been standing at the same height as the older man. She had hazel eyes, and her hair – which had been braided – had been dyed both bright yellow and dark purple. She wore a black tanktop with what seemed to be a skull emblem embedded in the middle of it, her pants being the same color which had thin white lines extending throughout it, resembling a spider web.

"You need to keep your eyes open, you old coot." Pelagiya said before extending her hand and then pulling it towards her body, a small chuckle emitting from her lips. "I'll be taking that phone and that gun of yours, thank you very much."

"Huh?" Dalimil murmured as he felt a strange force latch onto both of his hands, both of his tools soon being ripped out of his firm grip. "Damn it, that's gonna be a pain in the ass… where the fuck were you hiding, anyway?"

"You should probably focus on how you're gonna live." Pelagiya told him before tossing the cellphone out of the window, effectively shattering it. "I killed the lifeguard and climbed onto the roof so I could get a surprise attack off on you. Looks like it worked."

"And you think that's enough to kill me, don't you?" Dalimil smirked, prompting the Super to frown in irritation. "You guys over at Supernova really like to assume, don't you? You know my name, but do you know anything about what I can actually do?"

"The boss told us to assume that you were a Stand user… hell, he even told us to watch out for you but you're such an old pig fucker that I don't think I should be too worried." Pelagiya insulted him, though it barely roused Dalimil. "Your ability doesn't matter if you can't dodge a bullet, so stop bragging and I can get this over with."

Pelagiya pulled the trigger to the revolver, the burning lead zipping through the air and towards Dalimil who kept his calm demeanor despite this – as if on cue, a strange silvery liquid slipped out from the floorboards and shaped into a hand, grabbing the bullet with ease.

"What the fuck is that thing?!" Pelagiya shouted in distress, her hazel eyes widening as the entirety of the room shifted to the same color as the liquid that had just appeared, covering the windows and the front door.

"I'd say you were right, but, I'm not that generous. I sure as hell can't dodge a bullet, but I can catch one." Dalimil chuckled, the liquid hand dropping the bullet to the floor. "This is my Stand, Roman Sky. I can shape this liquid into anything I want, and it can stop a bullet in its tracks with a touch. So maybe you should stop bragging and respect your elders, you spoiled brat."

"Watch your mouth, you piece of shit!" Pelagiya yelled, brushing her hand back towards her body again – but nothing happened. "Huh? What the hell, why isn't Senses Fail working?!"

"From what I can guess, you can push and pull objects like they're magnetic, right? Well, that's just tough shit, then. Roman Sky is covering the entire room so nothing can move an inch, and that includes the both of us." Dalimil informed her, motioning his hand to the floor beneath them.

"Are you fucking crazy?!" Pelagiya grit her teeth once she stared down towards the floor, seeing that her feet were completely covered by this strange ooze. "How do you expect to kill me without undoing this, then?!"

"Maybe you'll find out." Dalimil grinned, which prompted Pelagiya to scream in irritation and fire five more shots at the old man. A wall of the silver ooze came down, completely and efficiently shielding its user from the incoming bullets.

Suddenly, the wall of ooze flexed forward and shot each round back towards Pelagiya, who barely had any time to react before the first four hit her torso – though, the final bullet embedded itself into her skull, killing her in an instant.

"I'm a little disappointed, you were so quick to pull the trigger instead of coming up with some kind of plan to beat me." Dalimil sighed, the ooze covering the building soon disappearing which allowed him to walk towards her corpse and pick up his revolver. "Your boss must be a little too confident in his comrades if he sent _you_ of all people to try and kill _me_."

He took a moment to reload his revolver, pushing it back inside of his pocket before pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"Shit, I could have brought her in for interrogation… oh well, if everything goes as we planned, one of us should be bringing in that November asswipe in soon enough. I need to go find Joanne and make sure she's okay before I do anything else, though."

* * *

Joanne had found the docks, and though she had expected to find something leading to drug use, it still made her stomach throb and twist. Needles and broken syringes had been scattered across the sand, dried blood and foreign substances staining it.

She remained silent and did not dare to touch the material, she knew how deadly this specific drug could be – heroin. She sighed and pulled out her cellphone, intending on calling Dalimil and telling him of her findings.

At least, she would have if she wasn't caught off guard by a shadow looming over her. Her hand suddenly sparked as she turned, attempting to grab ahold of whoever it was that had been watching her so closely.

"Damn, you catch on fast for an American." The man spoke condescendingly, brushing his blond bangs behind his ear before he smirked. "Play time is over, little girl."

Michail Avgust was at least six feet tall, his blond hair nearly covering his eyes if it were not for the fact that he brushed them back every few moments. He had been wearing a brown leather jacket with a black v-neck t-shirt underneath it, the latter designed with what seemed to be four large suns on the top, bottom, left and right of it, with each of them connected by a thin orange line. His blue jeans held two bright orange holsters, though they seemed to be more for decoration as they were not holding any weapons.

"I'm not even surprised…" Joanne said through grit teeth, her fingers sparking before balling her hands into fists. "I'm gonna fry your dumb ass now, if you don't mind."

Michail didn't bother to respond with words, he only smirked. Joanne opened her mouth to speak, though she felt something slice into her back forcefully which had caused her to nearly scream from both the shock and the stabbing pain.

"I guess you didn't feel it when I touched your back." Michail told her almost mockingly, licking his lips as he watched her writhe for the next few moments. "You won't be able to shock me if you can't touch me."

Joanne attempted to lunge towards Michail, but she instead slammed her body into a nearby wooden pole. She groaned in confusion, glaring at Michail who simply crossed his arms which only made her grow even more annoyed with him.

"What the fuck did you do to me?" Joanne grunted as her body nearly hunched over from the relentless pain, a lump forming in her throat. "I'm going to throw up, holy shit…"

"My Stand, Kill Plan, controls your body automatically depending on what I want you to do. I put a small device in your back. You know that thing on the back of wind-up toys? Yeah, it looks like that. I can control your every move now." Michail told her, chuckling lowly as she attempted to trudge forward. "Well, you're a stubborn one, aren't you?"

"You better hope this kills me." Joanne muttered, prompting Michail to raise one of his eyebrows quizzically. "Because if it doesn't, I'm going to make sure you die slowly."

"Cute. Hm, how about this then?" Michail bit down on his bottom lip as Joanne suddenly felt her hands moving downwards, towards the dirty needles and shattered syringes. "I'll make sure you get a little present if you do make it out. Does that sound fine to you, sweetheart?"

"NO!" Joanne screeched as her hands closed in on what she had feared the most, the lump in her throat growing as she suddenly forced one of her hands to grab the device sticking out of her back. "TAKE THIS, YOU DUMB MOTHERFUCKER!"

Michail's eyes widened as he watched her somehow grab the wind-up tool that had made its home in her injured back – in just a moment, he felt a wave of electricity burst throughout his own back, effectively causing him to fall as he screamed for help.

Joanne panted, sighing in relief soon after once she felt the strange device fall out from her back. She weakly grabbed Michail by his collar and started to drag him towards the ocean, sparks emitting from her fingertips as she did so.

"I can't… move…" Michail murmured before the young woman tossed him into the sea, leaving him to sink to the depths as he felt his consciousness slip from his body.

"You're gonna die slowly, just like I said you were…" Joanne said before spitting on the sand, turning to make her way back towards the entrance of the beach despite the gash that Kill Plan had cut into her back. "Just gotta… find Dalimil…"

Joanne fell face first into the sand, weak gasps for air emitting from her lungs as her body waited for Dalimil to find her/

* * *

Everyone had managed to regroup back to base by six that evening, though Joanne's wound had to be cleaned and stitched before she could meet up with the others. Dalimil had luckily found her before she had bled out, and his men had been doing a fine job of patching her up.

Jovanni Joestar and Abel November had been cleaned up, the both of them sitting in what Dalimil had labeled the interrogation room, though it was truly just the basement of the complex. Thomas stood guard with his boss, who had been sitting opposite of November.

"You did a damn good job, JoJo. You've made me proud." Dalimil told him, slapping him on the shoulder which made the young man wince slightly. "Thank you for finding him, Thomas. It's a damn honor to have you on the team with us."

"Of course." Thomas nodded, looking towards Jovanni and November, who seemed to be glaring at one another with a mutual, intense hatred. "Alright JoJo, cut it out before you both swing at each other again. We need to ask him a lot of questions."

"Yeah, I know." Jovanni sighed, crossing his arms before looking away from the man he had mercilessly beat a few hours ago. "Not like he'd land a damn hit on me anyway."

"Are you going to kill me or what?" November spoke up, though he had been speaking to Dalimil instead of his former opponent. "That's how this goes, isn't it? I'll tell you what you need to know and then you kill me."

"We're not animals." Dalimil said matter-of-factly, though he slammed his hand on the table just a moment after saying so. "First question. You're not a Russian, you're an American. I've never seen an American on their side until now, so what's going on?"

"Supernova's boss promised me something if I helped him." November said, his eyes unblinking as they met with Dalimil's. He smiled sadly which was coupled with a momentary chuckle. "Ha. I guess it was foolish of me to think he could bring the dead back to life. I really am a desperate man."

"I see." Dalimil rubbed his chin. "What did he promise you, then? Why did you believe him in the first place?"

"He promised that he would bring my wife back to life." November told the older man almost immediately without a shred of embarassment or shame. "I was willing to do whatever he told me if he would just bring her back. I believed him because I had no other choice."

"Hm. I have a hard time believing that you really killed Gabriel if this really is the kind of man you are." Dalimil spoke with honesty, which prompted Jovanni to nearly shout at him but he had kept himself from doing so. "What happened with Gabriel, then?"

"You're not going to believe me, but…" November sighed, pausing for a moment. "Atriark, the man who runs the House Of The Rising Sun, has a Stand ability. He can control probability, and… I guess he used it to make me shoot him. I didn't want to. I guess I really did kill him, even if I didn't willingly do it."

"And you expect me to fucking believe that?!" Jovanni shouted, his hands twitching violently as his amber eyes nearly cut into November. "That's fucking bullshit! Gabriel told Dalimil that YOU did it, you piece of shit… don't say that my friend lied to me!"

"Calm down, Jovanni!" Dalimil barked, which caused the young man to flinch. "I feel the same, but we have to take everything into account! Nothing is impossible. We just need to wait for Walker to get back and then we can confirm this."

"If your friend went to investigate, I don't think he'll be coming back." November said. "That place is crawling with Supernova members. Do you really think he'd make it back here safely or without any problems?"

"Guys, if that's the case, we need to go there _now_." Thomas said, his voice rather hurried as he pulled his pistol out from his shirt pocket. "We don't have a choice."

"Yeah, but you need to stay here and make sure November doesn't do anything. Jovanni, you're coming with me, I don't want you to start a fight." Dalimil told him, motioning for him to follow as he ran up the basement stairs. "Come on!"

"Got it!" Jovanni nodded as he followed suit, not wasting a second of the precious time that they desperately needed. "No one else will die on my watch! Be safe, Tommy!"

"You too, JoJo!" Thomas yelled back in encouragement before his comrade shut the door, leaving him alone with the captured November.

"Are they idiots? They might be Stand users, but they can't fight someone who can pretty much change fate!" November yelled, though it only resulted in a chuckle from Thomas. "What's so funny?"

"You don't know these guys as well as I do." Thomas said, a warm smile spreading across his face before he continued. "Even if they knew they were gonna die, they would try and save their friend anyway. They're the most stubborn people I know, but damn, I admire them for all the guts they got."

November scoffed. "It's their problem if they want to die, I guess."

* * *

"They're going to come for you, Atriark." Arkadi spoke soothingly into the casino owner's ear through the telephone. He chuckled. "I've had reports come in that November was beaten by Joestar. He's very peculiar and a bit unpredictable, so keep your eyes open. Do not become overconfident just because you can control probability. That man is different from what I have learned over these past few weeks."

"Yes, Mister Arkadi. I will deal with him accordingly." Atriark answered, nodding before the phone call had abruptly ended. He set the phone down, staring at his desk as he talked to himself. "But it's such a shame that I'm not a brute like you. Maybe then I could slaughter them without a care in the world."

Atriark sighed.

"But we're different."


	6. House Of The Rising Sun

Night was going to set into Miami within an hour or two, and yet, the heat was still as persistent and had been driving the citizens of it mad. There was no way to hide from it, and there was certainly no rest for anyone who had important business to take care of – especially for Jovanni Joestar and Dalimil Klement, who had been rushing like madmen to the House Of The Rising Sun before their friend, Walker Porcelli, could meet his doom.

Passersby would stare at the two men running down the street in confusion, though they did not do much to stand in their way; they looked like they would have no qualms about beating down whoever would so much as try to stop them.

Jovanni had attempted to push every what-if thought out of his racing mind, but it seemed as if he just couldn't help himself. Doubt was eager to deter him from his sacred mission, it made him wonder if they were too slow and Walker had already perished thanks to him.

Dalimil's run had slowed to a brisk walk once they started to near the casino, as there had been several vehicles parked outside and dozens of people lined up just to get inside so they could have a taste of their fatal addiction for another night.

"JoJo, we're going to cut the line and try to get the bouncer to let us in. If this 'Atriark' really is a Stand user and he killed Gabriel, then he's probably expecting us to come for him sooner or later. My question is if he told his guards who to watch out for." Dalimil spoke, causing Jovanni to stop for a moment to think. "Do you think it's worth it to try and barge in?"

"We don't have a choice!" Jovanni snapped at him, his amber eyes wide and bloodshot. "We're gettin' in there one way or another, so let's stop flapping our gums and get the fuck in there!"

Dalimil only turned and made his way towards the packed casino, his underling right behind him every step of the way. They arrived at the entrance, which had earned them a few cries of anger and some customers were even screaming at them to "get the fuck out of the way and wait your turn".

However, they ignored them and looked towards the bouncer who had been looking down the list he had been holding in his hands. He rubbed his chin and looked at the two men a moment later, though he looked to be more perplexed than infuriated.

"What are you doing here and what do you want?" He asked, tilting his head as he awaited their answer rather patiently.

"Atriark wants to see us." Dalimil told him. "I'm Dalimil Klement, and this young man behind me is Jovanni Joestar."

"Oh, right, I'm sorry. It's been a long night." The bouncer replied, bowing before he stepped out of the doorway. "One of the bouncer's inside will lead you to his office. Thank you for doing business with us tonight."

"Likewise." Dalimil said as he trudged inside, his comrade by his side. The sound of excited screams and muffled voices filled the warm atmosphere of the casino, just like he had expected.

Jovanni sighed as he stared into the sea of gamblers. "Damn, they're happy. It almost makes me wish I didn't have to kill the bastard."

* * *

Four grey walls surrounded Joanne Sybella, bits of paint chipped off on each. She could barely see, and she was unsure if she could even if it wasn't dark – her eyes couldn't focus on whatever it was in front of her. A figure? A door? She couldn't make it out, no matter how hard she tried.

Was she standing still? She couldn't even tell, her vision was so blurry that she thought she had run a mile and was suffering from dehydration. But she couldn't feel her lungs, or if her throat was dry. Well, truth be told, she couldn't feel anything aside from constant bewilderment.

"Alright Joanne, daddy has to go to work now!" A honeyed voice told her as a blinding light flooded into the once dark room, but the figure still remained distorted. "I'll be back tonight!"

Joanne felt an uncomfortable lump form in her throat, hot bile wishing to force its way out of her body in the hopes of relieving it.

"DAD!"

Joanne's eyes pried themselves open as her fingers clutched what she knew as her bed sheets. Her chest heaving, she turned to see Thomas and an unfamiliar man sitting by her bedside.

"You okay? I don't think you've ever looked that terrified." Thomas said with concern, both of his eyebrows raised. "Take it easy, you just got your back stitched up."

"What time is it? Where's JoJo?" Joanne asked frantically, her hands pulling her bed sheets off of her still weak body which had been made obvious as she winced. "Who's that guy next to you?! What did I miss?"

"Hey, calm down." Thomas said almost soothingly. "It's half an hour until seven in the evening. Walker didn't come back, so JoJo and Dalimil are looking for him at the House Of The Rising Sun. This guy is, uh…"

"I'm Abel November." He spoke flatly with a sigh, watching as Joanne started to bare her metaphorical fangs. "Before you try to tear my throat out, we're not enemies. Jovanni beat the shit out of me but he's looking for the guy that… well, I guess the guy that _really_ killed your friend, Gabriel."

"You're gonna have to spell this all out for me. I'm really confused." Joanne said, most of the tension in her shoulders dissipating. "I'm just glad that JoJo is fine. Did they leave you guys here to watch over me?"

"More specifically, they left me here to watch over you _and_ November just in case he was pulling their legs." Thomas answered her. "He hasn't tried anything funny, so I think it's safe to say that he's trust-worthy."

"I probably have a night of interrogation waiting for me if they do get back." November said with a roll of his eyes. "Oh well… alright, I'll just tell you what's going on, then."

"Fill me in!"

* * *

"He is in here." The bouncer told Dalimil and Jovanni, twisting the doorknob to Atriark's office open slowly. "Please mind your manners while you speak with him."

After opening the door, the bouncer made his way back down to the first floor. Jovanni and Dalimil looked inside of the office, both of them spotting a man with silky scarlet hair with his hands folded, his eyes sinking into their own.

"Are you Atriark?" Jovanni asked as he stepped inside of the office, cracking his knuckles as his amber eyes studied the slim man. "Get that hair out of your face, I can't take you seriously like that."

"As you wish." Atriark spoke with a minor hint of annoyance, brushing his silky locks behind his ear as Jovanni had requested. The left side of his face had been scarred horribly, the bone nearly visible through the broken flesh, his left eye a milky white. "Is this to your satisfaction, Mister Joestar?"

"Never mind, put it back." Jovanni cringed, soon snapping back to the business at hand once Dalimil grabbed his shoulder with a firm grip. "Right… look, did you kill Gabriel or did November? If you don't have a good answer, consider yourself fucked."

"I suppose that I was the one who did him in, as I assume that November told you what exactly my Stand is capable of." Atriark told him after brushing his scarlet red hair back into place. "I am more surprised that you managed to defeat him, let alone heal so quickly from the thrashing he must have given you-"

"That's enough." Jovanni interrupted, his right eye twitching involuntarily. "Just tell me why you did what you did. I don't want to hurt nobody if I don't have to, so just spit it out."

"Hm. Alright." Atriark nodded, complying. "He was disguised as a Supernova member, and he had been lying. I had no idea that he was one of you, and I merely killed him because he seemed the same as the other members. I have a grudge against those sorts of people for reasons you may or may not understand."

"You didn't even know… goddamn it, what do I do now?!" Jovanni yelled as he threw his fist against the office wall, a dull ache spreading throughout his hand after he did so. "God fucking help me, tell me what to do!"

"JoJo, calm down!" Dalimil pulled him away from the wall roughly, forcing the young man to look at him. "You can't let your anger take you over, and besides, we're here for Walker. We're not here for revenge."

"Walker?" Atriark asked, tilting his head slightly in confusion. "I assume that he is a member of the gang you both belong to; I do not know if it was him, but a young man came close to the casino earlier today but was knocked out by a member of Supernova."

"What?! Where did they take him, then!?" Jovanni walked forward, his hands latching onto the collar of Atriark's monochromatic suit.

"I'm not at liberty to give you valuable information, Joestar." Atriark told him directly, unfazed at how Jovanni had pulled his collar. "I have a gun against the back of my head, and I will not risk my own life for someone else if I have any say in the matter."

"What do you mean?" Jovanni asked as he released the man's suit from his iron grip. "Aren't you a member?"

"No, I am not. That is why I have a metaphorical gun pointing at the back of my head, thanks to Supernova's boss. There are eyes and ears everywhere and I must do my job, even if I wish to help you in the long run." Atriark smiled softly. "You're a good man, you've proven that to me through the desperation that you hold in your heart, that desire to help your friend… you are indeed a good man, and I respect you. So we shall play a fair game of your choice without my Stand interfering. If you win, I will give you the knowledge that you so desire. If you lose, I will ask you to never step foot into my casino ever again. Which game would you prefer?"

"Checkers, I'm a damn king at that game." Jovanni requested, turning to Dalimil for a moment. "I'll get the game over with as fast as I can, old man."

"You damn well better, boy." Dalimil responded, though he shifted his gaze towards Atriark. "Do you think that Walker has time, or do you think he's already been killed?"

"Supernova likes to play with their food, so there is no doubt in my mind that they are playing some sort of game with him before they finish him off." Atriark snapped his fingers and a small wooden table with a checkerboard suddenly materialized in the middle of the office. "Best two out of three, let's not waste any time."

Atriark and Jovanni sat at the table, each of them taking their sweet time in making their moves. The atmosphere grew even more tense than it had beforehand – even Atriark seemed to be sweating from how much of a risk-taker this Joestar was. He willingly gave up his own pieces just to get closer to his opponent's end of the board which was something the casino-owner had not faced recently; he was far too used to his adversaries playing defensively.

On the other hand, Atriark's style of play was incredibly hard to pinpoint. He would switch from playing defensive to offensive, making bold moves that would make any spectator seize up at the very sight of the plays he had been making.

"King me."

Atriark felt his heart drop into his stomach once he saw Jovanni place his red checker piece on the opposite end of the board, his arms crossing as a confident smirk spread across his face.

"As you wish."

Atriark placed a second checker piece on top of Jovanni's, his hand shaking all the while. How had he failed where Jovanni had succeeded? Was he going easy on him because he admired the resolve he held so closely? Or was this man just better than him at this game?

Silence ruled the room for a few more minutes, both of the players carefully observing every single move at an incredible rate. But, before long, the winner of the first round had been announced.

"Round one goes to you, Jovanni." Atriark told him through a shaking breath, one of his hands wiping sweat from his brow. "My my, I have to admit that I did not expect you to win a single round. This is quite the surprise."

"Yeah? Well, just watch me win again." Jovanni said, grinning he set his checker pieces back to their normal places. "I thought you were going to kick my ass, but I guess I'm just too good at checkers."

Atriark chuckled and set his pieces back in place as well, the second round starting immediately. Everything immediately returned to how it originally started; the tense air that choked the both of them had returned, the unwavering focus in their determined, undeterred eyes.

The will of a gambling man met with the resolve of a good man – this must be what it is like when an unstoppable force meets with an immoveable object. But, like all things that live inside the universe, even this had to come to an end.

Atriark gasped as he watched Jovanni take every single piece that he had reigned over, sweat dripping off his pale chin before he simply sighed.

"I concede. You win, Joestar." Atriark surrendered before standing up, reaching over to his desk to pick a washcloth off of it. He wiped his drenched face slowly. "I have never been bested, and that will be a match to remember."

"Thanks and all, but could you hurry and tell us what we need to know?" Jovanni asked, which earned him a nod from the man, the wooden table disappearing into thin air. "While you're at it, you could tell us the name of their boss, too? Taking him out would probably make Supernova lose their shit."

"Very well, I'm sure that he will have me killed for losing to you, but I will tell you everything that you wish to know." Atriark started. "Your friend, Walker, is in Supernova's hideout. It is below this very casino and I will show you the way there… though, I must warn you, there must be dozens of them."

"We'll find a way to take care of them, I can say that much." Dalimil said stubbornly with a growing smirk. "What's the asshole's name, then? Is he a Stand user?"

"His name is Vladimir Arkadi." Atriark suddenly spoke coldly upon saying that name, slowly moving towards the front door of his office. "His underlings know him as Vlad or Mister Arkadi, and he has led Supernova for thirty-three years now. He is a Stand user as far as I know, but I do not know what his ability is. He is feared and has earned the alias 'The Untouchable Man'. I suspect that there is a very good reason behind this."

"Vladimir Arkadi, got it." Jovanni said with a quick nod. "Alright, let's hurry! There's no time to waste!"

"Yes, let's not wait for another second."

Atriark had led them to the dark and dreary basement of the casino, showing them to an iron door that seemed to have several iron locks placed onto it. One by one, he undid them carefully with ease, pushing it open a moment after he finished.

"Their hideout can be accessed through several points in the city, but this is the most direct route. They will not see you coming from this direction." Atriark said as he stepped out of their way. "Only Arkadi knows what I have done, and I suspect he believes his goons will take care of you with ease; with that aside, it will take you half an hour to reach the heart of their hideout if you hurry. Just remember that overconfidence will be your downfall, you cannot take any risks if you truly wish to save your friend."

"Atriark," Jovanni started, biting down on his lower lip as he looked at the slender man. "You said that they would come to kill you. You better not go down without a damn good fight, you hear me?"

"I will do my best to survive, Joestar." Atriark smiled gently as the two stepped through the doorway, his heart thumping a bit harder than usual. "I want you to know two more valuable pieces of information before you leave; I do not know if Vladimir is inside their hideout, so do not hope to end this all now."

"Okay. What's the second thing?" Jovanni asked.

"I am sorry for everything, you are a good man. You better not go down without a damn good fight, do you hear me?"

"Yeah, I hear you."

* * *

In a place that was covered by shadows and the stench of cigarette smoke lingered sat a tall, muscular man. His face had been hidden by the darkness of the room, his almost leather-like hands pressed together as he stared ahead at him with what must have been a grin to fit the tone he had been speaking to a shorter Russian man in front of him.

"Atriark defected? Ha, how could he defect when he was never one of us in the first place?" Vladimir Arkadi laughed, clapping his rough hands together. "There's no need to go after him, I'm sure that November wants to spill his blood over his carpet after he made him kill that man."

A woman by his side leaned down and extended what seemed to be a box of cigars to him, which he gleefully accepted. He quickly lit it, moving it to his lips soon after.

"If you're sure, Mister Arkadi." The gang member told him, his eyes focusing on the desk that his boss had been sitting at; there had been a glass bowl filled with dozens of unfamiliar pills. "W-What are those? I don't think we've sold those anywhere."

"It's none of your damn business." Vladimir said, his jovial tone almost instantly dissipating, now replaced with something much more menacing. "Are you trying to get in my business?"

"N-no, sir!"

"I don't believe you." Vladimir told him before he reached over, grabbing the gang member by the thick beard that was protruding from his chin. "What do I usually do to dumb fucks who try to get in my personal business?"

"Y-you get rid of them, don't you?" The gangster's bottom lip quivered, his fearful cries soon turning into a scream as his boss slammed his head into the glass bowl. "PLEASE STOP!"

"I don't hear anything, do you?" Vladimir murmured to the woman that stood by his side as he repeatedly slammed his underling's head into the bowl, shattering it completely after a few seconds. "Yeah, it's quiet in here. Weird."

The woman had attempted to make a run for it but she suddenly slipped, a single bullet zipping through the back of her neck and out of her throat. With a sigh, Vladimir stood and watched blood slowly pool beneath the fresh corpse.

"I also hate it when people run from me." Vladimir whispered to himself as his deep hazel eyes looked near her corpse, seeing that she had dropped the box of cigars. "What a terrible mess you've made… oh well, I'll call someone in here to clean that up."

He pulled his cellphone out from his pocket, holding it to his ear while he stared at the woman's corpse, smoke spilling out from the cigar. Eventually, someone answered him.

"Hello? Yeah, there's been a small spill in my office. Come take care of that, will you? As you know, I'm a very busy man and every single second of my time has to be spent working."

* * *

Parker dropped a stack of papers onto his desk at the office, an irritated frown stuck on his wrinkled face. He felt as if he was aging at a constant rate, though he could not give up the search for this man no matter what.

"Three bank robberies in one day, I think that's a new record." Parker mumbled to himself as he sat down, immediately sorting through the paperwork. "Still no sign of that damn punk. No one on the force has seen him or any of those other kids. I have to do everything myself again, I guess."

Parker's eyes shifted towards the front door as it slammed open, watching in surprise as a panting officer slipped inside, his hand on his chest as he attempted to catch his breath.

"S-sir, we asked around the city again! People were saying that they saw that blond kid that we've been looking for, he was apparently heading to the House Of The Rising Sun with an older man!" The officer said, prompting Parker to immediately jump out of his seat.

"Let's get there, asap! We'll get four more officers to come with us, we might need the help with those punks!" Parker shoved his pistol in his holster and grabbed a semi-automatic rifle off from the gun rack before heading out. "Wake the fuck up, we're going right NOW!"

"Y-yes sir."


	7. A Killing Industry

Forty five minutes before Jovanni Joestar and Dalimil Klement descended beneath the House Of The Rising Sun, the unconscious Walker Porcelli would soon wake up from the feeling of cold air brushing against his face.

The young Walker Porcelli had been sitting in what he could only describe as a prison cell for the past few hours, unaware of his exact whereabouts ever since he had woken up. There were dim lights in the hallway, but he could barely tell if anyone else was here with him – all he heard were the occasional footsteps, which he figured to be nothing special.

One of the many thoughts that had crossed his mind was this: had he been killed? This might have been a holding cell in the deepest, darkest pits of what he would call hell. How long had he been waiting for someone to come to him and tell him what was happening? He had been stripped of his wallet, his cellphone, and his trusty revolver.

His ears twitched slightly as he heard an unfamiliar voice travel down the dark hallway, but he couldn't quite make it out. Whoever it was, they sure as hell weren't speaking English – wait a minute, was someone speaking Russian? The accent made it all too obvious to him.

Walker stood up and wrapped his cold, shaking hands around the bars, attempting to get a peek at whoever it was but he could not stick his head out from the cell to obtain a clear look. Thankfully, they had stopped right outside of his cell.

Yulianna Gennadiya had been slightly taller than the man standing before her, her eyes a piercing bright blue with a bit of black mascara above each of them. Her black hair had been dyed blonde in four separate spots, each of them spaced out appropriately. She had been wearing a bright purple tanktop with what seemed to be outlines of rain drops decorating it, the same going for her pair of slacks.

"Good, you're awake." Yulianna spoke in a thick Russian accent, her left hand slipping a key into the cell's lock while her other hand held a revolver tightly. "Your ID had the name Walker Porcelli, so I'll assume that's your name. You're coming with me."

"What, are you gonna kill me?" Walker rolled his eyes before spitting an inch away from the Russian woman's pair of leather shoes. "Might as well get it over with before I do something dangerous."

"Where's the fun in that?" Yulianna smirked and opened the steel door, grabbing Walker by his collar and throw him in front of her. She pointed the revolver at his back. "We're going to play a game or two with you before we blow your head off. I'll tell you where to go, so start moving before I change my mind."

"Okay." Walker felt a faint trace of fear pulsate inside of his heart, but he would be damned if he let this woman scare him – it was less her doing and more of the fear of the unknown that had terrified him so. "Where the hell am I?"

"Supernova's hideout." Yulianna chuckled, noticing that those two words combined had nearly made the young man freeze instantly. "Any hope you have of escaping is worthless, there's hundreds of us down here. Even if you _could_ kill me, every other members would come looking for you."

"Right." Walker sighed as he traversed the dark hallway. "Well, guess I'll just go along with what you got planned for me. It's not like I have a choice."

Yulianna smiled teasingly. "Good boy."

Walker had been led to a small chamber that had been illuminated by four separate lights, which was a welcoming sight to his tired eyes – the walls seemed to be a part of a chain link fence. When he turned around, she had locked him inside with three other gang members that each had been wielding machetes.

"We're just gonna test your reflexes!" Yulianna sang before crossing her arms, though she seemed confused since Walker had not been panicking as she had expected. "Are you just really brave or really damn cocky?"

"I'm not intimidated by numbers, that's all." Walker claimed, immediately dashing towards the gang member on the left as he lowered his head. "I know how fuckers like you fight, too!"

Walker bashed his head against the gang member's chin, his left hand yanking the machete out from his grip. After doing so, he managed to dodge an incoming jab from the second man, sliding a small bit of the blade into his side before kicking him onto the ground.

He dodged a slash from the two gang members that had still been standing by jumping backwards, launching his own blade into the second's foot which had caused him to topple over as he groaned in agony.

The third and final gang member made a mad dash for him, groaning once the younger man's fist met with nose which had caused a cracking sound to emit from it which prompted him to fall flat on his back.

"Didn't even need to use my Stand, that's a little disappointing." Walker sighed and turned to Yulianna, who looked rather surprised at his performance. "Were you hoping that I would die or something?"

"Not really, then that means that I couldn't have my own fun." Yulianna giggled, opening the door to the cage open. "Alright, now the fun is really going to begin especially since I know that you're a Stand user now! I just need you to do one little thing for me before we start."

"What's that?" Walker asked before he felt the cold end of a revolver meet the side of his head, knocking him unconscious right before he hit the cold steel floor.

"I need you to stay asleep so you don't try anything funny while I arrange everything, we can't have you killing anyone or kicking the shit out of them like you did to those others." Yulianna picked him up by the back of his shirt, dragging him along the floor as she sighed. "Oh man, I think the idea I have might just be a little unfair to you. But hey, you're just a dumb American pig so it's not like it matters much, huh?"

Walker awoke half an hour later, his hands bound together and he was sure that there had been a burlap sack thrown over his head. He could hear hundreds of voices flood his ears, each of them either in a language he had little to no understanding of or in a thick Russian accent.

The burlap sack was removed from his head, giving him a clear view of his surroundings. He had noticed the chain link fence between him and Yulianna, who had embraced the cheers erupting from the crowd to the left and to the right of her.

Bleachers had been built onto the walls which allowed hundreds of Supernova members to look down at Walker. The man shook his head and looked down the path he had been laid on, noticing that the floor was made of pipes that had been melded together. Further down had been a tunnel of sorts, but he would have a hard time reaching it even if he ran. Were they going to execute him here and now? Fear was flooding his heart, sweat pouring down his face as he silently prayed for an answer.

"Quiet!" Yulianna yelled into a microphone, the crowd immediately dying down once she had started to speak. "I've put together a little game that this little American shit is gonna play with me. Do you wanna hear what it is?"

The crowd responded with excited screams and loud screeches, which had made Walker wish that he could cover his ears but it was no use as they had been bound by a pair of handcuffs.

"Well, Walker," Yulianna started, licking her lips as she turned to face him. "You see that path in front of you? We're going to be having a little race, but there's a catch and a rule – at the very end of the path is a gun, so when one of us gets there first… well, you can probably put that together on your own. The only rule is that you can't use your Stand, or you'll be killed as we have a few of our own members aiming at your skull right about now. They're not Stand users, but it'll be easy to tell what's going on if you try anything funny."

"Will you at least take off these cuffs?" Walker rolled his eyes, grunting once he felt a hard slap on the right side of his face. Sighing heavily, he stretched his arms once the man standing behind him had set his hands free. "Thanks, dipshit."

"We'll start at the count of three, so you better be ready to give this everything you got if you still wanna live!" Yulianna chuckled as she took her place at the starting line. "When the gun goes off, run like hell!"

Walker waited for the signal in anticipation after cracking his knuckles, sweat dripping down the sides of his face while he stared down the path set before him. He felt his ears ring once the shot he had been waiting for rang into the air, prompting him to dash forward.

The sound of his footsteps clanking against the metal floor were drowned out by the screaming and cheering crowd, but he would try his hardest to ignore it. His eyes traveled to the opposite side of the chain link fence, seeing that Yulianna had managed to push herself ahead of him slightly.

Walker continued to run, but he had nearly tripped once he felt his momentum almost completely dissipate in a moment. He looked down at his feet, seeing that they were stuck to some sort of sticky bright pink substance.

"What the hell is this shit?" Walker asked himself as he heard the sound of something slapping against the very same substance from behind him, causing him to look in curiosity. "The fuck is that thing?!"|

Mushroomhead took the form of what could only be described as a pink blob with strange goo leaking out from its underbelly. It had three pink tentacles stretching out from each side of its body, and it had one eye with a tiny dot inside it above its gaping maw that was filled with razor sharp teeth.

"So she can use her Stand, but I can't? Fuck, and I can barely move with this shit under my feet." He groaned, inching closer as he watched Yulianna disappear further down the metallic path. "Goddamn it, what am I supposed to do?!"

His eyes darted across the area as the Stand inched closer and closer to him, its tentacles stretching towards his lanky legs. Walker's mind was racing as he attempted to find a solution, though he grinned as he stared at the chain link fence.

At least a foot away from where he was standing was a break in the chain link fence, a large square hanging off from it on three of its sides. But, would that be sturdy enough for his ability? He had no way of fighting this thing, his Stand was not suited for combat.

His body strained to carry him over to that specific part of the fence, his hands latching onto the loose bit of the chain link square so it could attempt to tear it off. With a hard pull, he ripped it clean off the fence.

"You fuckers really need to fix up your shit sometime!" Walker taunted them before flipping the audience his middle finger, his feet planting down on the chain link fence. "Alright, Palisades! Find a way to avoid the incoming gunfire!"

Suddenly, a dark purple aura surrounded the chain link fence below Walker. The object started to float in the air, easily handling Walker's weight – the crowd started to scream as he rocketed down the path, gunfire soon flooding the air.

Bullets whizzed past Walker as he rode forward, his ride soon stopping at an opening in the floor, though he looked to the left and to the right before jumping down. He quickly slipped into the opening, being forced to bend down as it was rather cramped.

He moved to the left, the side that Yulianna had been running on. He groaned as he crawled, his breath uncomfortably warm as sweat dripped down his lean frame.

"I wasn't paying attention to see if she was near me, but I probably passed her up… the crowd sounded really upset, so that's probably what they were whining about. I should probably shut up and listen for anything, though. That Stand might have followed me, even though it isn't really fast." Walker mumbled to himself as he crawled forward for a few seconds, though he soon stopped and smirked as he heard footsteps thudding against the ground above him, causing the flooring to shake and bend.

He pressed his hand onto the loose flooring in preparation to shoot straight ahead of her, though he felt something slimy wrap around his ankle; his eyes widened once he saw that Mushroomhead had followed him underground.

"Does it just appear where it's user wants it to be? Someone must have told her that I went underground… I'm a fucking idiot, of course she would have contact with her allies!" Walker grunted as the dark purple aura returned, this time it was surrounding the floor panel. "Get me past Yulianna!"

The force that had suddenly entered the flooring forced Walker out onto the surface once more, his body barely hanging onto it while he flew past Yulianna who had started to push herself even harder than she had been beforehand.

Walker had been riding further for at least half a minute before he quickly made his way into a dimly lit tunnel, the weak lights focusing in on the center – there had been a revolver, placed on the floor.

He quickly jumped towards it, his hand wrapping around the handle as he rolled across the steel ground while he grunted several curses. He shakily aimed the revolver towards Yulianna and pulled the trigger, the bullet whizzing towards her.

Her eyes widened right before the bullet struck her between the eyes, causing her slim body to slump over. Sighing, he pocketed the weapon and turned around to see a steel door, prompting him to smile as he pushed it open.

"This looks like…" he whispered to himself as he opened the door, seeing a staircase that led upward. "Yes! I can get the fuck out of here!"

Walker quickly ran up the stairs, though he froze as he heard two sets of footsteps making their way down. He slipped the revolver out from his pocket and held it close to his chest, but he nearly dropped it once he heard a familiar voice enter his ears.

He turned to see Jovanni Joestar and Dalimil Klement, both of them looking at Walker in shock but they immediately smiled.

"Oh, well, I guess you were getting out of this shithole yourself! Glad to see you're fine!" Jovanni smiled, placing a hand on his hip as Walker approached the two of them. "You don't look like you got too messed up."

"Let's just get the fuck out of here, we can talk about it later, JoJo!" Walker said, giving the two of them a nod before dashing upstairs, both of them following behind closely. 

* * *

November shook violently as he held his cell phone in his hands. First he had convinced Thomas that his two friends would need their help, and then he made a run for it once he had increased their distance to an adequate amount. He still had work to do, he would not wait any longer to get what he desired.

"Well, November, you have a choice to make. You can kill the defector and I'll do everything in my power to get her back to you, safe and sound. Or... You could leave. You could walk out and not look back. I won't send my men after you." Vladimir chuckled. But," he continued, "I think we both know what you'll choose."

The words rang in Abel's head. Vladimir had given him a choice, something he wasn't prepared for. He could kill Atriark, someone he considered a friend, to get the one he loved back... or he could walk out a free man, empty handed. He weighed the choice heavily before coming to a decision.

"That's settled, then." He thought to himself as he loaded his revolver and set out. 

* * *

Getting into the House of the Rising Sun was easy. They knew him and expected nothing. The hardest part was the wait in the elevator. "Maybe this isn't the right thing," he thought, beginning to tremble with anxiousness. "Does he deserve this?" He paused. Atriark had made him kill an innocent man. He'd forced Abel's hand. Regardless of how close they were, that couldn't go unpunished. He just wished it was under different circumstances.

He stepped out of the elevator and took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. His heartbeat was racing, thundering in his ears. "You don't have a choice, Abel. It's what has to be done."

He opened the door to see the familiar redhead facing away from him. "Hm? I wasn't expecting company-" he started, turning to face Abel.

"I'm sorry."

The shot rang out, connecting with the space between Atriark's eyes. Blood, bone fragments, and grey matter splattered on the wall behind him. The force of it knocked him out of his seat and he was dead before he hit the floor.

Abel dropped to his knees, tears welling up in his eyes. For the first time in a very long time, Abel began to cry.


	8. Fortunate Son

A man standing at the height of six feet and four inches tall stood near War Machine's base of operations while the Stand users had run to the House Of The Rising Sun. He wore a dark purple button-up shirt with a black vest, his sleeves undone with the top button of the shirt unbuttoned. He wore black slacks with steel toed boots on his feet, and his facial hair was rather scruffy. His hair was worn was a neatly combed undercut. On each of his shoulders were holsters that held handguns. Underneath his deep hazel eyes were crows feet, and the strange smell of gunpowder combined with smoke radiated off his body.

He slipped his two silenced desert eagles out from his shoulder holsters, his hands tightening around them as his index fingers inched toward the triggers on each gun. He almost groaned as he did so, as if it was so satisfying to hold these tools of war in his own two hands.

The man steadily walked towards the entrance of the apartment complex, a small joyful hum emitting from his mouth as he pushed the front doors open while one of his hands slowly rose upward to take aim.

His eyes shifted as he watched a man of smaller stature aim his own handgun at him, sweat dripping down his face as he merely turned to smirk at him. The man directly aimed towards his head, though his dark eyes shifted as a second guard fired a twelve gauge shotgun directly at his gut.

"TAKE THAT, ASSHOLE! THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR TRYIN' TO GET IN HERE AND FUCK IT UP!" The guard screamed as he fired once and then twice, though his eyes widened once he saw every shot he fired break into pieces once it went within five feet of the intruder.

"I'll have to make this quick." The man sighed before placing a bullet between the man's eyes, his hand quickly turning to plant two bullets in the other guard's gut as he moved forward. "The cops are going to show up in about five minutes… eh, that should be enough time for me to wipe these rotten fucks out."

Another guard ran down the hallway into the lobby, bullets whizzing out from his revolver and towards the unfamiliar gunman who simply hummed while the heated lead broke apart around him. He dashed towards the guard and slapped him across the face with the end of the desert eagle before planting a bullet in the top of his scalp.

He kicked the guard's body to the side before traversing down the hallway, easily and almost nonchalantly shooting every single guard that came close to him. He would peek into every door way he came across and shoot whoever had been waiting for him swiftly, each of them screaming in confusion when their bullet simply broke apart in mid air.

This complex was not too large, and if he had happened to come across the police he would simply feign ignorance. What were they going to do, shoot him down? He chuckled at the thought and continued onward, walking at a steady and casual pace as he hummed.

"These Americans aren't as tough as they were thirty years ago. They're just a bunch of reckless shitheads now." He smirked before he made his way to what he believed to be the final room, slowly twisting the doorknob. "Being the Untouchable Man doesn't mean much when everyone you fight is as worthless as the dog shit they're made of."

Vladimir Arkadi opened the door slowly despite only having about two minutes left to escape – at least, that was his estimate – and aimed his weapon inside the room. His deep hazel eyes widened for a mere moment once he saw that there had been a slim woman in what he could only guess were pajamas, her hands sparking. Though, oddly enough, she seemed to be wincing in pain.

"Who the hell are you and what the fuck are you doing to our men?" Joanne grunted as she slowly made her way over to Vladimir, who had placed his desert eagles back into their respective holsters. "Are you with Supernova? Probably, you're a coward for coming here when the Stand users are away… damn it, I'd have more help too if a few of them stayed behind. Goddamn it, Thomas…"

"You're injured, do you really think you can take me on by yourself?" Vladimir licked his lips as she approached, his fists clenching as a large grin spread across his face. "You got guts, I'll give you that. You only have a few minutes before the cops get here, so you better kill me quick, huh?"

Joanne ran forward and attempted to press her sparking hand to the mysterious man's chest, though he easily sidestepped the incoming charge – he used this opportunity to raise one of his legs and kick the woman back, the latter grunting as she looked towards him to see something materializing beside him.

His Stand was rather tall, its shoulders broad and its body muscular. Its face was covered by a dark grey cloth that had been tied around to the back of its head, the color of its body a bright white. It had steel nails protruding from its knuckles and on the back of its hands were black markings that seemed to resemble small flames, its kneecaps sharing the same markings. Its face had a rather large nose, and its black eyes perpetually wide. On each of its shoulders there seemed to be large steel nails driven into them, as if they had been keeping the Stand's body together.

"He's a Stand user, that's just great…" Joanne panted as sparks suddenly shot across her body, which seemed to nearly convulse from the sheer amount of energy running through it. "Alright, here goes nothing!"

Joanne darted to the side and then towards Vladimir who did not move an inch as she did so, her hands outstretched as she attempted to get close enough to inflict damage – without so much as a second thought, the Stand's fist met with her mouth.

The young woman coughed as the force from the punch knocked her through the drywall, her shaking hands quickly grabbing onto the ledge before she could fall from the second story of the building and onto the ground below.

Vladimir stepped over, the tips of his boots coming near her fingers. "You're already hurt, where are you gonna go before the cops get here? Are you going to get some of the guards? It's a damn shame that I killed all of those dumb shits, huh?" He smirked as one of her hands lost its grip on the edge of the building.

"Bastard, who the hell do you think you are?!" Joanne yelled as blood seeped out from her lips, her teeth clenched tightly as she felt her fingers grow sore from how tight her grip on the edge had been.

"The only man who's fit to own the world." Vladimir said before stomping on the young woman's foot, crushing it under his heel. "It's the furthest thing from a woman's job, after all."

Joanne felt her grip on the ledge loosen entirely, her eyes widening as she attempted to scream before she hit the ground, the impact leaving her chest heaving once she felt the impact course through her bones.

"I'll let the police find you. I'm sure they'd love to find a criminal just laying on the side of the road, so wait for them like a good girl." Vladimir sighed deeply before turning around. "I'll go upstairs and get on the roof, I can escape easily if I just run across the rooftops. My first objective is wrapped up, now to prepare for the second phase."

* * *

Dalimil Klement, Jovanni Joestar, and Walker Porcelli strolled through the streets while Jovanni talked loudly on his cellphone, though everyone they had passed this night seemed to ignore them. He barely managed to keep himself from bumping into strangers, adding to Dalimil's irritation.

"Would you watch where you're fucking walking, JoJo? I don't wanna have to wait for you to catch up every thirty seconds!" Dalimil yelled, though Jovanni simply raised his open palm. "What the hell do you think you're-"

"I'm trying to talk to Tommy, old man. Hold onto your britches, he's telling me what went down. Jesus fucking Christ." Jovanni scoffed, rolling his eyes before raising the phone to his ear. "Sorry about that, the old man was just being rude, as always. What happened with November?"

"Well, first-"

Jovanni felt someone slam into him, the phone nearly flying out of his hand but he luckily managed to catch it at the last moment. He grunted, watching as a burly man made his way between the three of them.

"Ey, I'm walkin' here!"

"What the fuck are you doing, Jovanni?" Thomas's question managed to reach Jovanni's ears, the latter only sighing as he caught up with his friends for what seemed like the twentieth time to Dalimil and Walker.

"Nothing, it was just a shithead. Tell me what happened."

"Well, you guys didn't come back for a while, so I had the idea to come over to the casino and try to help out because I thought you might have been in trouble. I made November come with me, but… he just left. I kept looking for him, and when I got into the casino…"

"What happened? Are the guards after you now or something?"

"No, but, you escaped through the back door so you probably didn't see this." Thomas gulped. "The casino owner was shot in the head, and his body was being carried away while everyone in the casino panicked. There were a few officers there trying to keep them calm, and I managed to get away before they could spot me."

"What, someone killed Atriark?!" Jovanni shouted, his amber eyes widening as his shaking grip on the cellphone tightened. "Was Parker there? Did they find out who the hell did it?!"

"Parker wasn't there, and they have no idea who did it. A weapon wasn't left behind, either… on top of that, a few of the guards by his office had massive bites taken out of their throats." Thomas said informatively. "Do you think it could have been a Stand user, JoJo?"

"What the fuck else could it be at this point?" Jovanni groaned as the shaking in his hand slowly came to a stop. "Bite marks, huh? That sounds familiar… well, we're almost back to the base. Do you think you could meet us there?"

Thomas's response had been cut off by several police cruiser's breaking the speed limit, driving directly away from them. They had turned left, but, wait – wasn't that where the apartment complex was located?

Jovanni nearly dropped his cellphone as he came to this realization, but he pressed it to his ear before he could do so. "Thomas, don't drive to the base just yet. I'll make sure to tell you what's going on, so I'll call back in five minutes or something. See ya later!"

It had only taken a matter of seconds to walk past the left corner, each of them nearly frozen in fear as they saw that the apartment complex had been sealed off with police tape and several officers had been standing guard. Luckily, there had been a crowd of people standing near the scene despite the fact that there had been a police officer shouting into a megaphone, telling the citizens to move along.

"What's going on here?" Walker asked, grabbing a nearby woman's shoulder. She turned around, her face almost pale with fright. "Uh, are you alright, miss?"

"Y-yes, I'm fine. It's just a little scary is all." She told him as Walker quickly retracted his hand from her shoulder. "The police were called out here because a nearby officer had heard shots and called for backup. After they went inside, they said that everyone inside of the complex had been killed. They're thinking it was a gang conflict, but it's still so scary to know that these Russians can kill whoever they want. There aren't any suspects either, so the killers are still on the loose! None of the Russian gang members were found dead!"

Jovanni opened his mouth to scream but Dalimil swiftly clamped his hand over his maw, muffling it while the young man's amber eyes filled with horror – the older man grabbed Jovanni by his shoulders and pressed him to the wall of the building they had been standing by.

"Jovanni, as much as I want to scream, we can't let the cops know we're here." Dalimil told him quietly, his eyes twitching as his fingers dug into Jovanni's shoulders. "If we're caught right here, we can't do anything against Supernova. Do you understand, JoJo?"

"God damn it all… yeah, I get it. I'll call up Thomas, what's our plan?" He asked Dalimil, but Walker walked between the two men. "Do you got something?"

"We could tell Thomas to meet us at the Prism Resort, then we could discuss what to do there overnight. It's the closest and it's the cheapest hotel in this city, so we might as well make use of it." Walker suggested, which resulted in a nod from his two comrades. "Alright, then let's hurry up and get the hell out of here before we're caught."

* * *

Thomas Lowell managed to meet the group of three at the second floor of the Prism Hotel, and the man had paid for the one night that they were going to stay there. He remained silent for what felt like an eternity after Jovanni had told him the news, the young man doing everything in his power to not break anything inside of the room.

"I'm sorry. If I didn't come look for you guys, maybe then I could have helped…" Thomas could feel his bottom lip quivering as he attempted to apologize to his teammates. "I promise I won't let you down again!"

"You didn't know, so don't beat yourself up too badly." Dalimil said, giving Thomas a much needed smile. "None of us could have predicted this and you only did what you thought was right. It's a damn shame November got away, but we have a few clues. Don't we, Jovanni?"

"Yeah, like those bite marks." Jovanni started, rubbing his chin while he paced back and forth inside the cramped room. "November's Stand had a fucking huge mouth on its stomach, so he had to be the one to kill all those guards. He shot Atriark in the head, which means he knew that he had to surprise them… but shit, where could he possibly be?"

"Since November was working for Atriark, he was probably his friend, too. Think about it, he knew exactly what his Stand did and the two of them had been side by side when Gabriel was killed. Atriark told us what happened, so… if they were friends, why would November go ahead and kill him?" Dalimil spoke, running his hands through his hair as he tried to make sense of their current situation.

"He said something about Supernova's boss promising him something if he worked for him, something about bringing the dead back to life." Thomas added. "Do you think… the boss could have told him to kill Atriark?"

"Fuck, Atriark even said that they would be coming for him!" Jovanni grunted before slamming his fist on the wooden door. "I'm going to find him and kick his ass again, maybe that'll knock some sense into that dumb motherfucker!"

"He probably feels like he didn't have any choice, but none of us know what his boss could have promised to bring back to him." Walker interrupted. "Probably a loved one if he wants them to come back from the dead… if they were really friends, he's probably getting a stiff drink somewhere to try and forget what he did."

"That's a pretty damn good assumption… there's only one thing left to talk about, though. What the fuck did you think happened in the base? I saw the news in the lobby and they said that, even though it was a mass murder, there were no large groups of people spotted." Jovanni said, sitting on the bed as he stared straight at the floor. "I don't wanna sound crazy or anything, but do you guys think it could have been a Stand user?"

"Even if it was a Stand user, there's no way they could have taken on so many of those guards without getting hurt." Dalimil told him, though he felt his heart sink into his stomach. "That would make sense, though… that lady that Walker talked to earlier said none of the Russians were confirmed dead. Either the police are getting inconsistent or we have a damn strong Stand user on our hands."

"What do you think happened to Joanne?" Thomas murmured, his eyes traveling towards Jovanni, who had his back turned towards him. "Do you think she could have-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! DON'T YOU DARE FINISH THAT SENTENCE!" Jovanni screamed before turning around, his fingers digging into his palms as his breathing became heavy. "SHE'S ALIVE, GODDAMN IT!"

"Calm down, JoJo!" Dalimil told him before grabbing the kid by his shoulder, pulling him into what appeared to be a tight hug. "We know she's okay, just keep calm, kid! I'll let you go when you stop screaming like a baby!"

Jovanni struggled to escape from Dalimil's grip, but it was completely futile. He soon sighed, the older man letting him go. He looked towards Dalimil, who merely rested a hand on the young man's head.

"What the hell are you doing? Get that shit off my head."

"Shut up and listen to me." Dalimil spoke coldly, resulting in a slow nod from his comrade. "You have a golden heart, kid, you've made that crystal clear to not just me, but the rest of us here. But if you don't stop acting so damn headstrong, whoever took out our base is going to kill you without so much as a second thought. When worse comes to worst, you need to be careful and tread lightly. You got it, JoJo?"

"Y-yeah, got it." Jovanni said, though he nearly jumped out of his skin once he heard a hard knock at the door. "Jesus! I'm coming!"

Jovanni opened a door to see a young woman with what appeared to be a broom. "I'm very sorry sir, I know it's really late but someone called for you downstairs. Do you mind coming down for a minute?"

"Oh, not at all." Jovanni responded with a bright smile, turning to his three comrades who looked to be rather uneasy. "I'll be back before you can say you miss me!"

"Alright, just be careful." Thomas told him as if it were an order, his bright blue eyes unmoving. "Got it, JoJo?"

"Got it."

* * *

Jovanni made his way down to the lobby of the hotel, noticing that the receptionist had been waiting for him. She extended her hand which seemed to hold a small note in it, which led him to tilt his head in slight confusion.

"Someone told me to pass this note to you, he went to his room just a minute ago." She told him, placing the note in his hands. "Here you go, sir."

"Uh, thanks." Jovanni gave the woman a thumbs up and turned away, holding it out so he could obtain a better glimpse of it. "What the fuck?"

The note read thus: Meet me on the top of the House Of The Rising Sun at two in the morning. I'm the one you're looking for. Don't bring any friends. - Vladimir Arkadi.

Jovanni crumpled up the note and started to dash, though he nearly lost his balance as he slipped – luckily, he grabbed onto a wall and looked towards where had been walking. What was that on the ground?  
"What the fuck?! That's gasoline!" Jovanni shouted and turned back to the receptionist, who started screaming once a trail of fire shot along the liquid. "Son of a fuck!"

He dashed towards the receptionist and grabbed her by the collar, pulling her over the counter as the fire practically cut him off from the end of the lobby. All he knew is that he had to get out the front door, which was only a few feet away.

The woman was almost speechless as Jovanni pulled her along, his other hand forcing the front doors open as he jumped out, tossing the woman away from the building as flames started to engulf the front lobby.

"Goddamn it! Fucking hell, I can't go back in if I don't want to be burnt to a crisp!" Jovanni shouted before he pulled out his cell phone. "Hey, 911?! The Prism Resort is on fire, so could you come here and take care of that?! There are still people inside!"

Not bothering to wait for an answer, it only took him a matter of seconds before he started sprinting towards the nearest bar. It was a few blocks away, but he did all he could – he would only get in the way of the firemen if he attempted to push through the flames.

"I can't just rush in without thinking any more! I'm damn sure they found a way to get out of the hotel!" Jovanni grunted as he forced himself to run, not even bothering to look back as flames overtook the Prism Resort.

* * *

"Walker, do you have any idea on how to get us the fuck out of here?!" Dalimil shouted as he watched the fire climb up to the second floor, though he soon ran back to the room. "WELL?!"

"I don't know how strong these walls are or if my Stand can carry three people at once, but we might as well try!" Walker jumped onto the large bed, a dark purple aura surrounding it within the next few moments. "Hop on, guys! I'll have Palisades ram this damn thing through the wall!"

Thomas and Dalimil jumped onto the bed before it began to float, though it jerked to the right in an attempt to smash through the wall though it merely cracked. Walker forced his Stand to ram into it again and again before they managed to break through, the bed soon soaring through the night sky.

"Do you think Jovanni is okay?!" Thomas shouted as the bed flew slightly higher into the cold night sky, his hand tightly gripping his 625 revolver so it would not fall to the city below.

"He was in the lobby, so he probably got out before any of us did!" Dalimil grunted as they zoomed above the buildings, his fingers desperately hanging onto the edges of the bed. "I'll call him after we find a place to land!"

"Speaking of that, where do you think we should go?" Walker asked as he continued to press his feet onto the bed as if it were a skateboard. "We can't go back to base, the police are probably still there."

Dalimil frowned. "There's only one place we can go now…"

"Where would that be?" Thomas asked curiously.

"Well… Jovanni won't like it, but we don't have a choice."

* * *

The Arrow was rather empty, and Abel November had been drinking alone for the past half hour. He had barely managed to down his first drink, but he was sure it would get easier if he just continued to drink himself until he could forget everything. Maybe he would feel better if someone would ask him what was wrong – but no one cared, it seemed. Not the people who had passed out in their seats and certainly not the bartender who was bound to make quite a lot of money off the poor man.

Suddenly, the front door slammed open and he turned to see a panting Jovanni Joestar. He marched up to the older man, his amber eyes filled with what could only be described as either rage or desperation. Maybe even a mix of the two.

He opened his mouth as he approached him, his hands gripping his shoulders roughly. Jovanni felt his body shake as he mustered up the desire to say exactly what he wanted to, though November was clearly surprised by his sudden appearance.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Jovanni yelled before slapping November across the face, leaving a bright red mark on his left cheek. "First you run off, then you kill Atriark, but now it might be because this Russian motherfucker promised you some shit?! Make sense out of this before I beat the shit out of you again, you stupid asshole!"

"Okay." November blinked, looking at Jovanni with a strangely calm stare. He waved the bartender off, who looked as if he was ready to call the cops. "A few years ago, believe it or not, I had a lover… and, well, she wasn't too happy about what I did for a living. When she found out…"

"I'm listening." Jovanni said before taking a seat by the melancholy man. "I want to know everything."

"I can't remember what it is of mine she found. It might've been money, might've been a gun. Could've been anything related to what I do. She yelled at me, screaming about how I was still making money like this. How I was still breaking the law so we could live comfortably. I lost my shit. We argued and argued... and then I left. I eventually just... I couldn't take it. I stormed out and got in the car and just drove. Eventually I cooled off and came back."

He paused, taking a deep breath. "I opened the door and all the lights were still on. I searched the house top to bottom before I went out back, and..." His breath caught in his throat. "She was face down in the pool. I called her name and reached for her but... she was already gone. From there until I met Vlad, everything is a blur. I don't think there was a day I was sober."

His gaze dropped. He shifted uncomfortably and shook his head.

"I don't remember where I was. I'm guessing a curb outside some shitty dive bar downtown. He commented on how pitiful I looked and I told him to go fuck himself. He grabbed me, slammed me against a wall. Asked what I said. So I told him again, spat in his face. And he... He just laughed. Said he liked me and he might help me if I could do something for him. I wasn't going to say no, you know? I asked what he wanted and he just beamed. He told me we'd get to it and that if I worked for him, he'd bring her back to me. I was desperate and looking back... I could've done better."

"Even after everything that happened to you, you still did what he said and killed a man." Jovanni sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're a real pain in the ass, you know? Maybe you really are hopeless."

"If that is the case, then why don't you just kill me already?" November said, the drink in his hand starting to shake as he looked Jovanni in the eye. "You should have shot me on sight so I don't get in your way again!"

"That's not how Jovanni Joestar rolls." He told November, the latter looking rather shocked. "You want to blame anyone, blame Vlad for how far this has gone. Speaking of him… he's the boss, right? Atriark told me what his name is."

"Yeah, he's Supernova's boss." November stated, though he felt his heartbeat increase for a few moments once Jovanni showed him the crumpled note he had shoved in his pocket earlier. "What the fuck is that?"

"The receptionist at the hotel gave me this just a few seconds before the entire place was set on fire." Jovanni said, shoving the note back in his pocket. "If he's really the one who set that hotel on fire, then he's practically asking us to come to him. It says not to bring anyone, but I'm not gonna play fair with someone like that."

"What reason do you have to hunt him down?" November questioned, raising an eyebrow. "If anything, this is my battle."

"If this is him, then it makes too much sense that he's the one that killed all of our comrades. He's a Stand user, isn't he?" Jovanni asked, which earned him a nod from the old gangster. "I don't really have a choice to go, since he's probably the one who murdered them all. Me and my friends don't have a home any more, so it's only right that I go teach him a lesson. But… are you going to come and fight, or are you gonna just sit here like a coward?"

November sighed deeply, standing up in response. "Yeah, this is my only chance. I know a way to get to the rooftop of the casino without anyone noticing, so don't worry too much about the cops that are gonna be standing guard. Do you still have your gun?"

"I have it on me at all times." Jovanni said, lifting his shirt to reveal a revolver placed firmly in its respective holster. "We better get going right now, I don't want to imagine what this crazy fucker will do next if we don't show up on time."

"Yeah." November replied before slipping a few dollar bills over the counter. "Thanks for the drink, I'll be back later, I hope."

The bartender remained silent as he collected the money, not bothering to look at the two men as they stepped out into the night with their weapons held close to their bodies.

 _Don't be reckless._ Jovanni thought to himself as he followed November's lead, though despite all the precautions he had taken, he could not help but feel his bones shake.

* * *

November had not lied, they had managed to get closer to the rooftop of the House Of The Rising than Jovanni thought was possible. He had led him through a rather large mall that was set two buildings away from the casino, and though they had to knock out a guard or two to reach their destination, they had managed to reach the rooftop of the shopping mall.

Though it took them a few more minutes, they had managed to carefully run across the next few rooftops, the two of them able to see a rather muscular, scruffy man standing in the center of the rooftop.

"That's him." November told Jovanni, who merely nodded. They both arrived, though the man did not bother to respond to their arrival. "Alright, what the fuck do you want, Vlad?"

"Hey there, November." Vladimir greeted him, smirking as his deep hazel eyes analyzed him and then Jovanni. "I thought that note I left said not to bring any friends, Joestar. You're as stubborn as I've been told."

"Shut up, I'm the only one asking questions here." Jovanni snapped rudely, pointing a finger towards the culprit. "I got a few for you, asshole. Why did you shoot up our base and set the Prism Resort on fire? Also, why did you only drag me out here?"

"I shot up your little base because if you want a job done, you do it yourself." Vladimir stated bluntly, a menacing black aura surrounding his body. "I set it on fire so I could get you out here. You're reckless, you're not afraid to do anything that might get you killed… that's dangerous, not just for you, but for my gang. I can't let you run around any more, you understand?"

"Your fight is with me first." November said before stepping forward, his own Stand materializing. "All you did was make me kill, again and again. You kept promising me that you would bring her back, but you never did! You won't do that to me again, you piece of shit!"

"What, are you still upset about your little lover?" Vladimir chuckled, licking his lips as he crossed his arms. "You were stupid enough to actually believe a Stand could resurrect the dead. There's no Stand in the world that can bring the dead back to life!"

"No, it's fine. She wants me to move on, I'm sure." November felt his teeth grind as he stepped closer to Vladimir, who had stood in place. "You're nothing but a coward who hides behind his personal army, waiting for them to do their dirty work for you! I'm going to kill you, right here!"

Humiliation's bindings suddenly snapped in half, freeing its hands from bondage. As the cloth around its mouth broke into two as well, it bellowed as it launched itself at the Russian, whose deep hazel eyes went wide as a hard punch came into contact with his chin.

Vladimir grunted as he felt another punch come in contact with his gut, and then with his right eye. He could feel blood seep out of his mouth after another hard blow, causing him to fall to his knees below Abel November.

"I'm not going to waste any more time on you! GO TO HELL, VLAD!" November screamed as the gaping maw on his Stand's abdomen opened wide, attempting to engulf the entirety of the Russian mafia boss.

Vladimir chuckled. "Dumbass. Never get cocky when you don't know what your opponent can really do!"

November felt his throat tighten as blood started to spurt from where his arm once was – he watched as it split in two and then exploded into a bloody mess, leaving him with nothing but a bloody stump. Before he could even scream, he fell over as consciousness fled his body.

"November! What the hell did you do to him, you fucker?!" Jovanni shouted as he struggled to stay composed, watching as Vladimir kicked the man's body away as his own Stand materialized.

"My Stand, Black Swan, has the ability to stop any attack as long as I'm conscious of it. If you try to shoot me, the bullet will break apart. If you try to hit me with a crowbar, it'll shatter… and, well, if you try to punch me your arm will just explode." Vladimir grinned as a sense of terror flooded Jovanni's heart. "This is going to be real easy for me."

Vladimir dashed forward and landed a solid punch on Jovanni's gut, the latter gasping for air as Black Swan held him up high. The Russian mob boss merely laughed as Jovanni struggled to break free, but it was simply no use.

"Are you gonna torture me or something? The old man will find out and he'll kick your ass…" Jovanni coughed, though Vladimir only laughed lowly in response.

"I'm not going to kill you, I'm going to make sure you suffer at the hands of the law." Vladimir said almost nonchalantly as he slowly pulled his arm back. "If you want to say anything, you should say it now, Joestar. You'll never get another chance."

"Just one thing." Jovanni's amber eyes focused in on Vladimir. "If you touch any of my friends, I'll make sure you regret that you ever met me."

"Ha, I'm sure you will, JoJo."

"Go to hell, you shit-stain."

Vladimir tossed Jovanni towards the opposite building, his Stand pointing its fist at him as his body started to grow closer to the brick wall behind it. Four nails shot out from its knuckles, two of them entering his hands and two of them entering his feet.

The Russian mob boss smiled at his work, seeing that Jovanni Joestar had essentially been crucified onto the brick wall. Sighing, he pulled his cell phone out from his pocket after he kicked Abel November off of the rooftop.

"Yes, it's an emergency. I found two people injured near the House Of The Rising Sun, and I need you to come right away. Thank you."

* * *

 **Author's note: I will add the Stands and all their information in the final chapter, which is not too far off.**


	9. A Conversation With God

Light.

Jovanni Joestar felt as if the light shining around him was surely going to blind him, though he raised one of his arms to attempt to block it out. After only a few moments, he watched as it soon faded. Just where had he ended up?

He dropped his arm and let it fall to his side as he watched the scenery change completely. The area appeared to be a home decorated with ripped up pieces of furniture, some of the windows cracked and even more of them were shattered.

Jovanni instinctively dropped to the ground once the sound of gunshots penetrated his ears, his left hand reaching for his trusty revolver – but it was gone, much to his confusion. He crawled towards the entrance of the home, though he blinked and turned around to obtain another look at the interior.

 _This looks really familiar._ Jovanni thought to himself before he pressed his back to the wall, his amber eyes attempting to look out the shattered window that had been placed near the front door. Three more gunshots erupted into the air though he did not flinch as he patiently waited to hear something else.

Waiting felt like an eternity – but, Jovanni pushed the door open once he heard the sound of footsteps dashing across the ground outside. He shoved it open, only to see that whoever it was had somehow phased right through the door.

"What the fuck?" Jovanni felt his body tremble once he saw a man of his stature dash away from the house with only a switchblade in hand. "Dad?! What the fuck is this shit?! This is a dream, that explains it!"

Though Jovanni had started to accept the possibility of it being a dream, he could not help but merely stare as he watched a bullet whiz into the side of his father's head. He wanted so desperately to scream, but he could barely muster the energy to say a single word as tears started to stream down his face.

He flinched when a woman's screams penetrated his ears, though he did not dare turn around – he was so sure that he knew what that was and he would be damned if he would willingly subject himself to that image.

Jovanni felt the light engulf him and his surroundings once again, though he barely felt the need to shelter his eyes this time around. He stared straight ahead, his eyes squinting once he had realized the mysterious light had done him no harm thus far.

He felt a faint whisper brush each of his ears – he turned around, seeing that there had been no one that had approached him in the vast sea of light. He felt the faint brush once more, his hands scratching at his ears until he felt a voice break through the sheer radiance.

"Joestar." The voice spoke, though Jovanni could not determine if the voice was distinctly male or female. "Your existence in this particular universe has not yet run its course, so you must return. Your soul has not yet left your body, and that is not a danger you face at this very moment."

"Okay, first off," Jovanni started and raised his index finger, nearly cringing as the ambiguous voice bounced off the would-be walls of the sea of radiance. "What the fuck are you and what the shit is going on?"

"The word you is not a way to describe this force." It spoke again, its voice reverberating. "However, Jovanni Joestar must be reminded that his journey does not end here. I suppose a word you may have for this predicament is fate. It is the duty of this specific to ensure that your existence does not end just yet."

Jovanni blinked, and then nodded slowly. "Alright, whatever you say. I have two questions… first, this is just a dream, right?"

"In a sense, yes, it is. The Joestar bloodline does not end with Jovanni Joestar, though it will always be the fate of the Joestars to fight a certain threat when the time comes. What is your second question?"

"Well, that wasn't very helpful." Jovanni sighed in annoyance, rolling his amber eyes before he continued. "If this shit is really happening, then why did you show me… well, that."

"That was simply a product of your mind, as it deemed it important enough to show you such a thing. You must dig your own answer out of your soul if you wish to understand what happened in your mind. Is that all?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Jovanni told the disembodied voice, a sudden chill running up his spine as the light started to fade. "Wait, what the fuck?! Don't leave yet, I'm still confused as hell!"

* * *

Jovanni's eyes snapped open, his vision blurry for a few moments – he could remember every detail of what had happened, which was odd. He never cared to remember his dreams, but this was stuck in his mind… though, a better question entered his mind. Just where was he?

He propped his body off of what felt like an uncomfortable bed and his vision started to settle, though he felt his heart sink once he had seen that he had been placed behind a set of bars. He looked outside the bars to see Parker Cunniffe sitting at his desk, his dark blue eyes glued to his amber.

There were two officers standing by his desk for a moment or two before they pushed the front door to the police station open. Parker's eyes remained unphased, but a small smirk emerged from the edge of his dry mouth.

Jovanni weakly grasped the iron bars, a familiar sting coursing through his hands but he allowed his grip to grow tighter. He must have only been out cold for a few hours, he could feel that his hands and his feet were barely healed.

"You know, I'm surprised." Parker started to speak, his left hand lifting the coffee cup on his desk towards his mouth. "I didn't think a punk like you would be caught so easily, but this only means there's another shithead in this city who thinks they can do my job for me. These rotten bastards need to stay out of my way and let me do exactly what I'm being paid for."

Jovanni glimpsed at his bandaged hands, wincing as he could feel the wound still twitch. "What, can't even show the motherfucker who did this some gratitude?"

"I'm glad he got a punk like you off the streets, but it just means I have someone who thinks they're some kind of hero on my already busy hands." Parker said bitterly, taking a small sip from his coffee cup. "Who did this to you? You're a Stand user so I didn't think it was possible that any ordinary person could take your ass down."

"Not like you would ever believe what I have to say, but I'll tell you." Jovanni let out an exasperated sigh. "His name was Vladimir Arkadi, I'm pretty sure. He's a Stand user… and Supernova's boss. See, doesn't that sound fucking crazy?"

Parker murmured unintelligibly before he took a larger sip out from his coffee mug. "Well, as for his name and the part about him being a Stand user, I'll believe that. I'm taking the rest of what you said with a grain of salt."

"Wait, really?" Jovanni asked quizzically, the two of his eyebrows raised. "You're really gonna take what a criminal says to heart? You sure you're not a stubborn mule? You sure look like one."

"Shut your trap, Joestar!" Parker snapped. "In my line of work, we have to take everything into consideration! If I've learned anything from my time on this Earth, it's that anything that you can imagine is possible in some way. You're a Stand user, too, so you have to understand what I'm saying."

"I guess I do." Jovanni admitted, his fingers tightening around the bars. "You should be able to understand that I can't just sit and wait for that bastard to be caught then, can I?"

"You don't have a choice, punk." Parker said, slamming his coffee mug onto his office table. "You're gonna tell me one more thing before I'm done for the night. What was the bastard's Stand ability?"

Jovanni gulped. "From what I saw, it looks like it has the ability to stop any sort of attack. I don't know about sneak attacks, but when…"

"Yeah?"

Jovanni came to the realization that Parker did not know that Abel November was a part of Supernova, so perhaps he could attempt to work around it before he accidentally let that information spill.

"When that other guy tried to punch him, his arm just… split in half. It isn't safe to get near him, I'm pretty sure that he's unstoppable." Jovanni said reluctantly. "I'm damn sure that there's a way to get past it. Fucking hell, I couldn't even land a hit before he threw me off the building and crucified my ass!"

"If he's so unstoppable, then why do you think there's a way to get past his defense?" Parker asked out of genuine curiosity.

"After being alive for almost thirty years, I'm damn sure that there is no one alive that's unbeatable. If the weakness isn't in his Stand, maybe it has to do with what kind of person he is. That's the only idea I have." Jovanni said truthfully, which earned a nod from the now silent police officer.

His amber eyes started to scan the small room, though he came to a realization – there were no security cameras placed inside of this room as far as he could tell.

 _Isn't he worried I might try to escape?_ _They're probably still low on men because of the shooting at the base today, that and Atriark being murdered… there's no way in hell that a lot of officers aren't on patrol tonight. I can handle a few normal officers, my main problem here is sitting just a few feet away from me._ Jovanni thought to himself, his grip on the iron bars of the cell tightening.

"You sure you want to do that? I don't think you do." Parker said, his dark blue orbs suddenly glaring at the younger man. "I might be the only competent guy here, but I'll send your ass to hell if you try anything funny… besides that, do you really think you can get anywhere with those injuries?"

"I won't know until I try!" Jovanni felt his teeth grind as Future Heart grasped the iron bars, its mechanical body shaking just as much as its user's hands had been. "Fuck!"

"ORO!" Future Heart screamed and pulled back, the entirety of the two iron bars snapping off completely.

Parker's Hangman materialized by his side, his glare embedding into Jovanni's determined bright amber eyes. He stepped out of the cell, his fists raised while he slowly approached the police officer.

"You're a stubborn piece of shit, you know?" Parker grumbled before his lanky Stand launched itself at Future Heart, which merely rose two of its arms to defend itself from the heavy blow that would sure knock it back.

After blocking the attack successfully, Future Heart swiftly broke its guard and grabbed Hangman by its arm which was followed by an iron grip.

"Let go, you dipshit!" Parker shouted, though before he could shout again he felt a strong force impact his nose. "FUCK!"

"I'll knock the shit out of you until you let me go!" Jovanni cried before his Stand tossed Hangman towards the brick wall behind his desk. He visibly winced and grasped his left hand. "Shit, this isn't good… my wounds will probably open if I don't beat him fast enough."

Hangman pulled itself off the wall and aimed its index finger towards Jovanni's chest, the man quickly making a dive for the floor as a knife shot out from the opened fingertip which had barely cut his right shoulder.

"Holy shit, that thing can fire knives from its fingertips?! How the fuck does that make any sense?!" He groaned as he attempted to stand back up despite the pain residing in his hands and feet, the bandages becoming more and more loose with every move he made.

Parker slipped his handgun out from his pocket and fired three shots at Jovanni, whose Stand managed to deflect every bullet that came near him – though, unexpectedly, Hangman's fist met with Future Heart's pitch black gut.

"Goddamn it!" Jovanni coughed and fell to his knees, his wounds twitching almost violently while he stared up at Parker. "I told you, I can't afford to stay here! MY FRIENDS ARE IN DANGER!"

"YOUR SO CALLED FRIENDS ARE WORTHLESS CRIMINALS!" Parker screamed back at him, aiming a second punch at Jovanni.

Hangman brought its hulking fist down towards Jovanni's head, but somehow Future Heart managed to grab it – Parker nearly gasped as the young gangster stared up at him, his chest heaving while fury erupted in his amber eyes.

"Shut your mouth." Jovanni murmured, his Stand's other hand managing to grab the second incoming punch. "You think this is justice? That's fine. I'm going to show that fucker my own sense of justice, and I don't know how you ended up as such an asshole, but I'll be damned if I let you say that shit ever again!"

"You're meant to be in prison! Someone like you who fights in the streets and acting like you own them is something I can't condone!" Parker yelled and attempted to break free of Future Heart's grasp, but his Stand's arms would not budge an inch.

"No I'm not, I'm the only person who decides where I go!" Jovanni declared and pushed Parker away, his feet shaking as he stood back up. "To be honest with you, I really respect the sense of justice you have but I can't afford to go anywhere else but to my friends for now!"

Parker grunted and allowed his Stand to point its index finger at Jovanni once again, this time a large harpoon shot out towards his head – luckily, he managed to narrowly avoid it by jumping to the side, his feet soon rushing his body over to the veteran.

"You dumbass, if this guy really is everything you say he is, then how can you hope to even stand a chance?!" Parker shouted, demanding an answer from the Joestar who only continued to rush forward with one fist clenched.

Jovanni remained silent even when his Future Heart's fist slammed against Hangman's face, the sheer force of the attack sending the police officer through his wooden desk and rendering his body completely unconcious.

Future Heart dematerialized as Jovanni sighed heavily, his left arm wiping the sweat from his brow before he made his to the backroom. He had to attempt to look for his cell phone and he had to be quick, as he was sure the police officers from earlier would return.

"I don't know if I stand a chance until I find a way to get past that defense of his, so I won't risk being thrown into jail while he kills everyone I care about. I'll do whatever it takes to get these scumbags out of this city, because…" Jovanni whispered to himself, his footsteps echoing through the empty halls. "I promised myself I would make sure my mom and dad would rest in peace… but, like hell I would ever let anyone see that part of me."

It was only a matter of time before Jovanni had managed to find his cellphone in the police station, it had been sitting in the backroom just as he had thought. He carefully but quickly left the building, calling Dalimil Klement after slipping into a tight alleyway.

"Jovanni, is that you?! Where the fuck did you go?!" Dalimil asked, his voice sounding almost like a parent's would. "We were worried sick about you!"

"I'll explain what happened when I meet up with you guys again, so where did you all go after the Prism Resort was set on fire?" Jovanni asked, though his question was met with a peculiar silence. "Uh, Dalimil?"

"Come by your dad's old house, we had no other choice." Dalimil told him. "Jovanni, I'm sorry. You do understand why I chose this place, right, kid?"

"Yeah. I get it." Jovanni said quietly. "I'll be right there, see you then."

* * *

Vladimir Arkadi walked along the street until he came across the House Of The Rising Sun, his hazel eyes noticing that there had been two police officers placed outside. Curious, he made his way over to them.

"How are you two officers doing tonight? All I've heard are police sirens tonight, is everything alright?" He asked, though this only earned him an irritated eye-roll from the officer to the left. "What was that for, officer?"

"Piss off, it's been a long night and we don't need any punks to bother us while we're on our break." The officer to the right told him, pressing the bud of a cigarette to his lips. "What are you, a biker or some shit?"

Vladimir stepped closer to the police officer, who merely stared at him for a few more moments until the Russian man grabbed a fistful of his hair and slammed his unsuspecting head onto his knee.

"H-hey! You're under arrest!" The other officer had withdrawn his handgun from its holster, his aim shaking as Vladimir slowly approached him as well. "Didn't you hear me, dipshit?!"

Black Swan materialized by Vladimir's side, its bright white fist running through the police officer's gut with ease – it retracted its fist and disappeared once more, the police officer's body slumping over.

Without taking much into consideration, he stomped on the unconcious guard's head as a wicked smile spread across lips while he continued on his merry way. He yawned, shoving his hands into his pant pockets.

"Another day, a few more bodies because someone pissed me off… ah well, who can blame me? I'm sure anyone as smart as me would have done the same thing."


	10. Camisado

Joanne Sybella could clearly recall how she found out about her parent's drug abuse at the age of fifteen – the scars were an obvious clue, but her curiosity could not be sated. She had always assumed that her parents had no idea what she had pieced it together, or maybe they did not want her to worry about their health.

She had found empty syringes under their bed while they went to work, though she was not exactly sure what she could do. In school, she was always taught that people who were addicted to drugs should be admitted to a rehabilitation center.

Before Joanne could manage to convince her parents to at least attempt to drop their addiction to the liquid filth, they had been caught sneaking needles into their car by a police officer that had been making his rounds at the local supermarket the two had worked at.

Joanne still visited her parents no matter what, despite their addiction, she still loved the two of them with all of her heart. She had vowed to herself to somehow break her parents out of jail, even if it meant she had to break the law.

As stubborn as she was, she knew this was futile – not too long after her parents had been arrested, Dalimil Klement and Jovanni Joestar had met the young woman while she was buying groceries. After the two managed to stop a robbery, she had practically begged Dalimil to join them after she had learned that they were apart of War Machine.

Joanne's Stand awakened after she spoke of her determination to end the drug trafficking that had infected the city of Miami, she swore that Supernova would rue the day that they had dared lay a finger on not just her parent's lives, but on the lives of every innocent man, woman, and child in the city.

She would often revisit her old home in her dreams, watching as the police would drag her beloved parents out of the home while she begged and screamed for the officers to let them go – but her screaming always proved to be nothing short of futile.

Joanne felt a similar scream rise in her throat as she awoke from her deep slumber, her tired eyes wide with shock and her face pale. She panted heavily, her limbs shaking while she analyzed the room she had been placed in.

She had been lying on a leather couch with a ceiling fan spinning to the left and above her, though it seemed she was placed in what seemed like a family room. There was a lamp in the corner, a door near a window that had been covered with shades – though she could see a small bit of sunlight breaking through – and a leather chair in another corner.

Joanne sat up slowly, but she nearly froze when she heard calm footsteps make their way to the family room. Wherever she was, she was not sure if she liked it or not – but, it sure as hell beat a prison cell for the time being.

"Now now, dearie. You need all the rest you can get." The withered voice of an elderly woman broke through the tense air, prompting Joanne to peek toward the source of the voice. "You weren't looking too well…"

The woman had been dressed in a loose pair of blue jeans and a pink button-up dress shirt, her hair long, curly and grey. She sat in the leather chair and crossed one leg over the other, her faded blue eyes scanning Joanne.

"Who… who are you? I remember falling out of the apartment complex and…" Joanne ran her left hand through her hair carefully, her memory slightly hazy. "Did you take me in?"

"My name is Madelyn, but you shouldn't be worrying about that." Madelyn told her rather sternly. "I took you in because you were hurt. What happened to you, child?"

"Don't worry about it, it's nothing that you should really know about." Joanne said almost defiantly, her back throbbing as she stood up to stretch. "I feel a lot better than I expected and my back isn't as sore as it was. Thank you so much!"

"It was no trouble, but let me tell you one thing." Madelyn started, her eyes narrowing towards the wooden floor. "I found you near the apartment complex, where the shooting happened… are you getting involved in business that isn't yours?"

"You should ask yourself the same question, but you probably won't let me leave until I tell you something, huh?" Joanne asked, receiving a slight nod as an answer. "I thought so… you shouldn't get any more involved then, I have some business to take care of. You can probably guess what I mean, right? Are you going to call the cops or something?"

"Don't assume such a thing so quickly and irrationally, my dear." Madelyn said, a wide smile stretching across his wrinkled face. "Everyone in this world has a different sense of justice… I will not share my opinion, but you do what must be done."

"You're very kind." Joanne smiled gently and nodded, steadily walking towards the front door of the building. "I guess that means that you don't mind if I don't tell you my name, then, so… oh, wait, before I forget! Do you have my cell phone?"

"I did not touch it, I left your belongings where they were when I first saw you. It's in your right pocket in your pants." Madelyn informed her and Joanne merely nodded before she pulled the front door open. "I do hope that I'll see you again, in a better condition, and under better circumstances."

"You will, you can count on that!" Joanne replied enthusiastically before walking outside of the old woman's house, shutting the door behind her firmly. "Alright, let's see if they've tried to contact me yet…"

Joanne skimmed through her cellphone, noticing that she had missed several calls while she had been unconcious – she quickly dialed Dalimil Klement's number and pressed the phone to her ear while she walked down the street.

It took a few moments until Dalimil called, his speech almost incoherent as what could only be described as pure happiness fell from his lips.

"Calm down, old man! Where are you guys?" Joanne asked, attempting to not let her grin somehow effect her speech pattern. "Are you still with me? You aren't talking."

"Sorry, I, we… never mind!" Dalimil exclaimed, which seemed rather odd for the older man. "We're at Jovanni's house, the one he lived in back when he was a kid. Do you know where that is or should I give you directions?"

"No, I know where that is. I'll be there soon, but it might take a while because all I can really do is walk." Joanne said, though she allowed a sigh of relief to exit her lips. "I'm so glad that all of you guys are okay. You can fill me in on what's happened when I get over there, does that sound good to you?"

"Yeah, it's probably for the best so I don't overload your brain." Dalimil agreed, though he continued to speak. "We've all missed you, Joanne."

Joanne felt as if she was going to tear up at any moment. "I missed you guys, too."

* * *

The day had passed rather slowly for Parker Cunniffe, who had been attempting to contact several businesses so they could fix the busted iron bars on the cell in the front office of the police station – he had barely said a word throughout the entire day, and many of his fellow co-workers had not dared to ask him what happened.

But, that was until an officer had made his way to Parker's desk around six in the evening, only an hour or so after Joanne Sybella had left the kind old woman's house. Parker did not respond to the shadow that had been cast over him, however.

"Sir, I understand that you've been in a terrible mood, but a report came in not too long ago." The officer said, prompting Parker to look toward him with a slight glare. "Two of our officers have been murdered, do you want to hear the details?"

"Yeah, hit me." Parker replied before grabbing a handful of paperwork and shoving it into a drawer underneath his desk. "Today is just full of bad news, just my fucking luck."

"Their bodies were found outside the House Of The Rising Sun… the first one I saw had his head crushed, but the other one had what seemed to be a massive, clean hole in his gut. We're not really sure who or what could have done this, but we need you to come with us on patrol tonight. Do you think you can do that?" The officer asked.

Parker's dark blue eyes narrowed before he stood. "I'll come, I got nothing else to do tonight and I don't want to pull any more money out of my ass. What time do you think I should head out there?"

"Be at the House Of The Rising Sun in an hour, you, me, and two other officers are going to patrol the area. Inside, outside, in every nook and cranny we can find." The officer told him before making his way towards the front doors. "I'm going to go get a bite to eat before then, so I'll see you there, sir."

"Alright, I'll see you then." Parker said as the officer shut the door, his sore and throbbing hands running through his hair. "Jesus Christ, there's not a day where this job is easy."

* * *

Parker Cunniffe kept his promise and made his way to the House Of The Rising Sun with little trouble, since the traffic had practically been non-existent. He had assumed that it was because of the shootings the day prior, as Miami seemed to be less lively than usual.

 _One of the dead officers had a_ _gut wound…_ _that sounds like something only a Stand could do._ _I have to keep my guard up or I might end up just like those officers._ Parker thought to himself, rubbing his chin absentmindedly as he parked his squad car next to the abandoned casino.

Parker pulled his Beretta M9 out from the holster on the left side of his police uniform, firmly gripping it while he made his way inside of the building after nodding to the two officers standing guard right outside the front doors.

He kept his walkie-talkie hooked around his pants as well, his Stand materializing by his side while he eased his way towards the steps that would take him to the roof of the casino. All of the bodies had been cleared out, but he could not help but mentally note that he could not help but feel as if someone was watching him or waiting for him – perhaps even both.

The lights had been shut off, though it was not hard to navigate since the sunset was breaking through the windows near the stairwell. He pushed on despite how decrepit the building had seemed, but it made sense because it was usually heavily populated every night before Atriark had been murdered.

Parker climbed the quiet stairwell, his footsteps echoing throughout the building as he slowly traversed, his mind only certain of one thing – he knew that whoever it was would come back, because killers could not resist the temptation of repeating their act.

He felt wind brush against his body once he made his way onto the roof, his dark blue eyes locking onto what seemed to be a masculine figure clad in sleek black and purple clothing. He held his M9 closer.

"What the hell are you doing up here?" Parker asked the man, who merely turned to him with a sly smile on his face. "No citizens are supposed to even be near this place, but more importantly, why are you on the roof?"

"For a public servant, you're a real asshole, aren't you?" Vladimir said with a sneer as he placed his hands on his hips. "I'm up here because I've been waiting for you for a few hours now, but let me ask you a question. What's your name and what's that Stand of yours called?"

"Damn punk, so you can see my Hangman, huh?" Parker frowned, but he would comply with the mysterious man's questions if it would give him the answers he had been looking for. "I'm Parker Cunniffe, a police officer here in Miami, but that's obvious. Now, tell me, just who the fuck are you?"

"My name is Vladimir Arkadi, and I work in several different departments that your kind are not too happy with." The Russian man grinned, his own Black Swan materializing beside him. "I'm the Stand user that put the Joestar brat in the palm of your hands and that petulant child, Abel November, down for good. Aren't you happy that I've been cleaning up the streets for you?"

Normally, Parker would have yelled at Vladimir that it was his job to clean up the streets of Miami, but something that would never happen was about to occur. Parker started to laugh.

"Ha! You really think you got rid of Jovanni Joestar? That kid broke out of a cell and managed to beat the shit out of me!" Parker laughed, wiping a tear from his eyes. "I fucking hate that kid, but he knows how to take a beating like a man! I don't know this November guy is, but I guess that's none of my business!"

Vladimir's deep hazel eyes widened, his hands almost shaking at the very mention of Jovanni Joestar making it out of that impossible situation alive – in fact, he felt his heart sink into his stomach.

"I underestimated that kid, this isn't good." Vladimir murmured to himself, pulling his twin desert eagles out from each of their respective holsters. "He's got my respect, that's for damn sure. I hope you know I'll have to kill you, now, though. I can't have you get the entire police force on my ass."

"Good luck with that." Parker replied, not daring to move even an inch as Vladimir pointed his weapons at the police officer. "Joestar told me what your ability is, but I'll be damned if I don't find a way around it!"

"That's such a shame, I love to play with my food." Vladimir sighed and placed his desert eagles back into their holsters. "I can't have the cops down below coming after me, either. Let's have a one on one, heart to heart fight!"

Black Swan pointed its knuckles at Parker, who merely looked confused as three nails shot out from its fist – though the first two merely scraped by his shoulders, the third nail managed to knock his Beretta M9 out from his iron grasp.

"Shit!" Parker grunted as Hangman pointed its index fingers towards Vladimir, two harpoons shooting towards him rapidly as Parker dashed towards him. "I'll just have to test your abilities until I find a weak spot!"

The harpoons shattered as they came into contact, causing Parker to stop in his tracks as soon as he entered Vladimir's range, the Russian man merely smirking as he delivered a swift blow to his face with his own fist.

"What a disappointing Stand!" Vladimir shouted as Black Swan's right leg delivered a swift blow to Parker's gut, causing him to topple over the edge of the casino. "That wasn't even worth my time… I'll have to do something about that Jovanni brat though-"

Vladimir felt a sharp pain enter his side, causing him to recoil and fall back a few feet – his eyes widened once he saw that Parker had managed to connect to his body through a grappling hook that extended from his Stand's finger and into his side.

Before he could activate his ability, he felt a hard punch crash against his mouth though he managed to shove the police officer away as he panted from the damage he had taken.

"You fucking pussy, you like surprise attacks, huh?!" Vladimir coughed, wiping his side despite the sickening feeling of fresh blood smearing across his once clean hand. "Pathetic, you're fucking pathetic! Fight me like a man!"

"You're one to talk… you have that ultimate defense of yours up at all times, but it seems like you can't block attacks if you're not aware of them." Parker panted, his Stand retracting the grappling hook from Vladimir's wounded side. "Pathetic, huh? When I was serving in Vietnam, there was no such thing as pathetic, you worm! We fought, we killed, no questions asked, so let me tell you one thing, you dumb piece of shit! YOU HAVE NO FUCKING CLUE WHAT IT MEANS TO SUFFER WHEN EVERYONE AROUND YOU IS DYING! THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS PATHETIC IN BATTLE, SO SHUT YOUR WHINY TRAP AND FUCKING FIGHT LIKE YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE!"

"A veteran, huh? I don't know what it means to suffer? You shouldn't assume so much shit when you don't even know the guy you're up against." Vladimir panted, his demeanor shifting from playful to sinister. "You're lucky I'm a merciful leader, or else this might not be too pleasant for you."

Parker chuckled and held up his walkie-talkie, pressing it to his ear which resulted in Vladimir's hazel eyes widening, his face turning pale as the veteran started to speak. Wait – he was describing his appearance to whoever was listening to him!

"This is my last order, comrades." Parker smiled defiantly at Vladimir. "Kill Vladimir Arkadi, no questions asked. He's on the rooftop of the casino… if you surround him, there's no way he can win. It was an honor to serve this country with you, my brothers."

A single nail shot through Parker Cunniffe's head once he finished speaking, his body slumping over but his smile would not fade.

Quickly, Vladimir Arkadi searched through his pockets and snatched the police officer's cell phone as he prepared to jump towards the closest building before the police officers could corner him.

"The bastard died for his country, which might as well be for nothing." Vladimir whispered to himself as he stood on the edge of the building. A small smile spread across his face.

"That Jovanni Joestar, though… I don't think I'm done with him just yet."


	11. I Need My Girl

Abel November was not sure where he had ended up when he regained consciousness – well, if he had to be honest with himself, he was not completely sure if he was awake, dreaming, or if he had died and had been moving into the next life.

He could clearly remember that Vladimir Arkadi had managed to tear one of his arms into shreds by using his Stand ability, but other than that, he had no idea if he was still laying unconcious on the rooftop of the House Of The Rising Sun.

Abel felt as if he was simply floating along inside deep space, as he believed that the lights around him were distant stars. He did not feel cold or warm, but he could see a brighter light shining ahead of him that broke through the darkness.

He watched as a figure bathed in light made its way down to him, his body shaking as a second figure followed it – he knew these two, but he could not believe his eyes despite this. He recognized the first figure as his former friend Atriark, but the second figure was someone else entirely. It was someone he had not seen in years.

The majority of her body had been covered in the would-be blinding light, though her soft face and gorgeous green eyes could be seen, along with her long, ringlet flaxen curls that stretched down into the light surrounding her body.

"Lily?" November managed to squeeze her name out of his tightening throat, feeling as if his heart was about to collapse while a hard lump formed in his throat. He almost whimpered as she lifted her soft, gentle hands and ran them across his rough face.

"You don't have to fight with yourself any more, Abel." Lily told him, her expression as soft as her touch. "You need to let go, so you can start your new mission… you know that I can't come back, right?"

"Yeah, I know." Abel murmured, grasping her hand with his own, though it was shaking as he felt a strange wetness run down his face. "There's no one on this planet that can bring someone back from the dead, and that's okay. I love you, Lily."

"I love you too, Abel." She nodded understandingly and let go of his hand slowly, her body soon drifting away from his own. "I'll be waiting for you, so don't blame yourself any more. I want you to be happy when we see each other again."

"You can count on that." November smiled brightly, waving as his lover faded completely which prompted him to turn his head toward Atriark. "Are you here to get revenge for what I did?"

"The opposite, actually." Atriark merely shrugged. "I just want you to know that I forgive you. You only did what you thought was right, and while I may have retaliated if you hadn't taken me by surprise, this is just where fate intended for us to go. All is forgiven, Abel November."

"Don't make me cry again, you asshole!" November laughed, sighing afterward once he saw that Atriark simply chuckled. "You might be dead, but you still know how to laugh. What happens now, though?"

"I don't know, November. That's up for you to decide, but I have a feeling that it is just not your time to die yet." Atriark extended his hand, grinning once Abel started to shake it firmly. "I only have one more piece of advice for you before I leave. No matter what, you better give Vladimir Arkadi hell for what he's done."

"I will, he won't get away with lying to me or the shit he's selling." Abel retracted his hand as he watched Atriark's grin only grow larger as he faded. "Goodbye, my friend."

Abel November turned around, noticing that there had been a dim light that had been resting behind him the entire time – he felt his feet drag him towards it, his fists balling up as he did so. He was going back to Earth, whether fate liked it or not.

"Sir, you're not supposed to go in here if you're not a relative of the patient!" A woman argued as Abel's eyes slowly opened, his back sore as he noticed that he had been laid on a hospital bed. His head slowly turned to where the shouting was coming from.

"He's my friend!" A familiar voice shouted back at the nurse, his feet quickly carrying him over to Abel's bedside. "He's waking up! He can tell you himself!"

"Jovanni?" Abel groaned, though where he believed there to be an absence of an arm was something else entirely. "Wait, I'm… still alive?"

He pulled the covers off his body, his barely recognizing that where he believed there to be no appendage had been a metallic, prosthetic arm attached to the stump.

"Holy shit, this hospital has everything, apparently!" Jovanni commented, feeling the nurse tug at his arm. "I'm telling you, he's my friend! Tell her, November!"

"Hey, it's fine! We're buddies, don't worry about it, alright?" November told the nurse, who reluctantly let go of Jovanni and made her way back to the entrance. "There you go… but, how are we still alive? Why are you here and how did you know I was alive?"

"I had a gut feeling that you were doing just fine." Jovanni replied, though his lower lip quivered. "I really thought you were dead, you asshole. You should have woken up sooner!"

"Sorry about that, I couldn't really… help it." November scratched his face, his metallic hand twitching as he stared at it. "How many days has it been? It feels like it's been forever since I've woken up."

"It's been two days, Dalimil wouldn't let me look for you until my hands and feet looked a little better." He said and lifted one of his hands, a bandage wrapped tightly around it. "Vladimir kicked my ass, but he has no idea that we're alive."

"Right, which means we should get back to business as soon as possible." November said rather hastily and pulled himself out of the hospital bed, his body rather stiff. "Do you have any idea about what the weakness in his Stand might be?"

"I don't know about a weakness in his Stand, but I think if he is weak, it might have something to do with him." Jovanni said, though he scratched the side of his head. "I've been thinking about it for hours, but I have no idea what it might be. When we get back to my place, we can start planning an assault of some kind."

"That sounds good to me." November replied, standing up despite the nurse that attempted to shove him back into bed. "What do you think you're doing?"

"You can't leave the hospital until we're completely sure that the prosthetic arm is totally fine, we can't have you leaving until we're sure!" The nurse argued, though the older, taller man seemed quite unfazed by this. "So I need you to get back into bed, sir!"

"I have a lot of work to do, so I'm not gonna stick around here." November glared at the woman rather fiercely. "I'm just fine, I feel like a million bucks! So I'm going to get out of here and go do what needs to be done before one of my veins burst. Come on, Jovanni."

Jovanni stared at him, his eyes wide with surprise. "Oh, uh, damn. Alright man, I'm coming, just hold your horses!"

The nurse remained paralyzed by November's stare and his haunting words, so she did not bother to stop the two from exiting the hospital together as she simply sat on the rough hospital bed.

She sighed heavily. "I don't get paid enough for this…"

* * *

Vladimir Arkadi flicked his cigarette onto the concrete street, his feet stamping out before he slipped into a dark and cramped alleyway. It was only midday but he was sure that the police would be searching for him because of the late Parker Cunniffe's warning, but he could easily deal with a single officer if need be.

He forced his way into a steel door, his feet clanging against the iron stairs that he had found. He would make his way to the rooftop and plan his next move there so the police would not catch him so easily as they would if he had simply been walking around the city.

Vladimir simply laid down on his back once he managed to make it to the roof of the building, though he was not sure what it was. It was only half the size of the casino, but he was sure that no one would bother to search for him here.

He pulled Parker's cellphone out from his pocket, a small grin stretching across his face as he noticed that he placed Jovanni Joestar's own cellphone information in it as well. Perhaps this was so he could easily track Jovanni if he was in public, or maybe even track where the call had been going. That man seemed to be so paranoid that anything was plausible, he must have been hellbent on catching that kid.

Though, before Vladimir decided to do anything, a strange thought crossed his mind. Just how did he climb his way to the spot he had taken in the first place? He slipped the cell phone back into his pocket, allowing his thoughts to take him to a place far away from the United States of America and back to his original home.

The small town of Prizrakov, Russia.

* * *

The sixteen year old Vladimir Arkadi had bundled up in two heavy overcoats that he had snatched off the street, as this year's winter in Prizrakov was nothing short of terrifying for him and his family. They could barely heat their own home and temperatures had fallen below zero.

He felt his stomach rumble, but that was the least of his concerns. He had to focus on how he was going to bring another paycheck home, because he was certain if he did not bring any money home after this week his mother and father would sure kick him out of the house.

His young hazel eyes shifted to his left once he saw a scrawny kid with short brown hair run towards him, his cheeks red from the excessive cold. "Vlad, something's goin' on back at our club's hideout!"

"This better be good, Yuri. I can't go back home empty-handed again… my back still hurts from that lashing my mom gave to me last night." Vladimir said rather solemnly, though he felt a twinge of promise in is friend's words.

"You won't go back with nothing, I promise!" Yuri yanked on his friend's almost numb hand, prompting him to quickly follow him. "This is worth your time, Vlad! Just come on!"

Vladimir did as his friend said and followed him to his hideout, which had been placed in the basement of an abandoned library. The floors were dusty and littered with torn pages, the windows frozen over and some cracked. This ghost town knew the meaning of alone more than anyone who lived inside of it.

Several small flames emitted from cheap candles beneath the wooden floor of the library, Vladimir's hazel eyes registering his friends, though there were two things that had been rather unfamiliar to his virgin eyes – there was a man with a scraggly beard and messy, greasy black hair that only had a ripped jacket and a white t-shirt, which went with his loose jeans. Next to him was a box, filled with what seemed to be needles which were half-filled by a foreign liquid.

"Who is this guy and what's that?" Vladimir asked and pointed at the box that had been set on a wooden table, an almost wry smile on the stranger's face. "I'd be angry if you guys didn't tell me about this right away, but, what the hell is in that box?"

"Oh, you must be their leader!" The man said enthusiastically and turned to Vladimir with an almost wry smile. "My name is Dima, and I came here with a little business proposition. I'm not from this town, but I can clearly see that you kids aren't very well off. Am I right?"

"You're completely right, but… why did you come to us? We're only kids." Vladimir said, his muscles tensing as Dima placed his hands on his shoulders. "Get your filthy hands off me."

"Don't get too ahead of yourself! You're lucky I'm a generous guy, or else I might have just grabbed my shit and left! I think you'll like what I have for you… I'm here because I couldn't help but see a few of you kids looking through trash cans just for something to eat, so you should be accepting of any offer that comes your way, don't you agree?"

Vladimir remained silent, sighing with relief once Dima removed his shaking hands from the teenager's broad shoulders. He snatched the box of needles and syringes from the wooden table, displaying them to the children one at a time.

"Have you kids ever heard of opiates? I see that a lot of the older folks in this town and running themselves ragged, but this would do the trick! One shot of this and they'll be back up on their feet like they're twenty years younger!" Dima grinned, his boney fingers caressing the syringes. "If you don't believe me, just try it, and you'll see! Opiates sell for one hundred dollars in the United States, which is about six thousand rubles here! But I'll give them to you for free if you just share fifty percent of all the profits you make with me! Do we have a deal or what?"

An uncomfortable silence grew among the six teenagers that surrounded the man, a cocky grin plastered to his face all the while. Yuri turned to Vladimir, searching for guidance.

"What do you think, Vlad? If the old guys buy it, we'll definitely be able to at least start to afford our own food." Yuri suggested, his friend looking towards the box. "I think we should do it."

"I think it's our only chance of making a name for ourselves, too." Vladimir responded, slowly grabbing the box that Dima had been holding in his hands. The other teenagers around him shouted happily. "Alright, you have a deal. I'll get some money to you in half a week, does that sound like a decent deal to you?"

"That's better than what I was expecting, so you got yourself a deal, kid!" Dima shook the young man's hand firmly before marching towards the staircase. "I'll be in the back of the library if you ever need me, so I'll talk to you later if you want to discuss this little deal we got going on."

Weeks had passed since that day, and Vladimir had made more money than he had ever seen in his sixteen years of life. His parent's assumed that he had been working hard at his part-time job, which was basic janitorial work at the food market.

He would be lying if he had said he was not tempted, though. He had made enough money to supply his parents for weeks on end, especially when he would convince Dima to go on "business trips" to other small towns and sell his wares.

Once he started, he could not stop. He felt invigorated, as if he needed this substance to control his life because it was his savior that had rescued him in his time of need – the scars were merely one of the few cons in his new life, as well as some of other side effects that he would only push to the side.

His parent's kicked him out of the house once they had discovered what he had been doing. They may have been rough and cold, but they knew what honor was. With the help of the rest of the town, even the many men and women that had been hooked to this drug, he was chased out without a second thought.

Vladimir Arkadi would never see or hear from Yuri, Dima, or any of his other friends ever again. He cursed the so-called businessman for ruining his life, his body still craving the jolt that the foreign substance would give him every time. He wanted his life to be a constant, never-ending high.

After working for a few shady "businessmen" - who were very similar to Dima – he had gathered enough money to set his sights on the United States, which he had managed to escape to despite the fact that his past always forced an uncomfortable weight on his shoulders, but he would never believe that it was well-deserved.

Vladimir had managed to meet a few Russian men that had made their way to the United States of America, just like he had. Together, they sought to create an organization together once they realized they had all been from neighboring towns and villages, which they believed would span across the entire nation if they worked hard enough.

Quite a few of these men had been killed by the police, but Vladimir Arkadi's resolve had awoken his Stand – he would never be stopped if it meant he could live normally and above society, even if the majority of the world believed he was nothing but scum. He truly believed that the world was created so he could rule over it and nothing else.

* * *

Vladimir Arkadi stared into his phone, the day passing by slowly while he stared at that name that sat uncomfortably in his throat: Jovanni Joestar. This man had showed the same determination that he had when he came to this country, so that must have meant that they were alike in a few ways.

"Jovanni Joestar." He started, his lips curling into an amused grin. "I'll give you the fair fight you want, it is well deserved. You're one of the few men who have managed to fight me and survive, even though you know what my Stand is capable of..."

He called Jovanni Joestar and pressed the cellphone to his ear, a low chuckle emitting from his lips.

"You are worthy to be my enemy."


	12. All Along The Watchtower

Jovanni Joestar's body was sprawled out across his old bed, his feet hanging off the edge while he stared at the ceiling that had been lit by the hot summer sun. He had spent sixteen years of his life surrounded by these four walls, but he felt even more trapped now than he did as a teenager.

He felt his cellphone vibrate in his pocket, his hand moving to take it. He stared at the screen, noticing that whoever was calling was certainly no one that he knew. How did a complete stranger obtain his phone number? Well, there was only one way to find out.

He pressed the 'call' button and pressed the phone to his ear, his face remaining almost expressionless until he frowned out of annoyance. No one had said a word, so maybe they had the wrong number. He decided to speak regardless.

"Hello? Are you gonna say something or what?" Jovanni said rudely, rolling his eyes as he had yet to receive an answer. "If you're not gonna give me a straight answer, then I'll just hang up. You're really getting on my nerves."

"Don't be rash now, Jovanni Joestar." Vladimir Arkadi replied, the sound of his voice practically forcing Jovanni's muscles to tense up. "I heard about how you survived and what you did to that police officer, Parker Cunniffe. I'm impressed, I have to admit that I didn't think you would go that far."

"What the fuck do you want?" Jovanni asked, his stomach twisting as he spoke. "How the hell do you know about that? You better answer me, dipshit!"

"He came after me, so I taught him a lesson. Is it really all that surprising that I would kill him? You know who I am." Vladimir answered truthfully. "What I want is simple. Today, two hours before midnight, I want you to meet with me in an abandoned hotel so we can settle this. It used to be called the Monolith Hotel before it shut down. I'm sure you know the story about how a woman and her children were murdered, then her husband made damn sure it would stay down."

"Why should I? I can't get past that Stand ability of yours, so you know it's a lost cause in the first place!" Jovanni argued, a low chuckle emitting from the phone. "What are you laughing at, you dumbass?"

"I just think you're a funny guy, Jovanni Joestar." Vladimir responded. "It's your choice if you want to come here or not. But if you don't, I can promise you that I can find you and every one of your precious friends. You wouldn't want anything horrible to happen to them, now would you?"

"You're a total asshole, but you're not wrong." Jovanni grit his teeth as he sat up straight on his bed. "I know where the place is, so I'll be there tonight."

"Thank you for listening to my request, Jovanni Joestar. I'll tell you now that if you want to bring any friends with you, then you can. You'll need all the help you can get." Vladimir recommended. "I'll see you tonight. Goodbye for now."

Vladimir Arkadi ended the phone call, prompting Jovanni to shove it back into his pocket. What was he going to do? He had to fight or his friends would die because of his cowardice, but if he went alone he would surely lose.

In his mind, there was only one solution that he would truly consider.

* * *

Jovanni had decided that it was best to talk to Dalimil Klement about the phone call instead of making a mess of the current situation, as he knew that his mentor would definitely remain calm no matter what. It was better than each of his friends losing their minds because of the call.

Jovanni leaned against the kitchen counter, his lips barely meeting with his coffee mug. He watched as Dalimil poured a cup for himself as well. His amber eyes shifted to the left and to the right as he took a swift drink from his mug, setting it down on the counter.

"I'm glad you went out and got us something to drink, otherwise I'd be dying of thirst by now. Heh." Jovanni joked nervously, though Dalimil seemed rather unamused. "What do you think I should do?"

"That's entirely up to you, I have no right to say what you should do." Dalimil said firmly, grasping his coffee mug tightly. "I want to go with you, but that might just put extra weight on your shoulders."

"You aren't helping me out as much as you think you are." Jovanni retorted and placed his cup on the kitchen counter. "I need guidance. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place to put it lightly, so tell me what the fuck you would do!"

Dalimil frowned and stared into his mug. "Well, in that case, I don't want you to go. I would rather stand my ground and fight the bastard, but I know you would never risk something like that. I'm right, aren't I?"

"I don't want to admit it, but yeah." Jovanni sighed heavily, smiling solemnly. "I guess I don't have much of a choice. I think I'm gonna take the time today to talk to everyone, because, well… you know what will probably happen if I go to fight the bastard."

"I get it, but I don't think you'll lose." Dalimil commented, his eyes shifting towards Jovanni. "You should get on that, though. Everyone is probably worried about you, since you've been quiet all damn day."

"Yeah, I'll go ahead and find them. Thanks for talking to me, old man." Jovanni gave Dalimil a quick nod before he walked towards the kitchen's exit. "I'll do my best to come back alive, I'm not down and out just yet."

"I know." Dalimil smiled warmly, a hint of pride shining through it. "Now go and talk to your friends, they're waiting for you to say something."

"Yeah. See ya later."

* * *

Jovanni made his way to the back in an attempt to find his four remaining friends. He pulled the door open to see Joanne sitting outside with her legs crossed, the bright summer sun beating down on her slender frame.

"Hey, you got time to talk?" Jovanni asked her as he plopped down next to her, his hands in his pockets. "You sure your back is better?"

"I told you, it's fine, JoJo." Joanne rolled her eyes, but she could not help but grin. "I missed you a lot while I was gone… I'm even more worried about you, too. You told me what that bastard did to you, so why are you out of bed?"

"My hands are fine, Joanne. A little sore, but they're healing up really fast." Jovanni assured her, his amber eyes staring towards the bright blue sky. "I never really noticed it until now, but the sky is really calming."

Joanne shifted her gaze towards Jovanni for a moment, her grin transforming into a disapproving frown. "Okay, what's up? You never talk to me like this unless there's something serious on your mind."

"The guy I told you about, Vladimir… he killed Parker, and I guess that old shithead put my personal information on his phone. He called me, and, well… I either go to fight him or he kills all of you. I don't have much of a choice."

"You're not going alone, are you?! I won't let you do that!" Joanne protested, her sharp fingernails suddenly sinking into Jovanni's shoulders, a stinging pain resounding through them. "You're not that much of a shithead, are you?!"

"What kind of man would I be if I let you come with me, Joanne?" Jovanni interrupted her while he winced in pain, he grasped her wrists gently and moved them away from his shoulders. "It's me or all of you. I'm not telling you where I'm going, because I know you'll follow me. Do you understand where I'm coming from?"

"You're such an asshole sometimes, JoJo." Joanne sighed exasperatedly, crossing her arms as she turned her head away from the man. "I get it, yeah. But… if you don't come back to us alive, I'm going to kick your ass. Do you hear me?"

"Yeah, I hear you. I wouldn't want to get my ass beat, so I guess I have no choice." Jovanni said, deciding to play along though he stood up a few moments later. "I'm gonna go ahead and talk to everyone else, so I'll see you later."

"Jovanni." Joanne started as she stood as well, her back facing him as she only looked towards her two feet. "You're not going to just die, are you? You can't just be like my mom and my dad… and you can't just let this piece of shit kill you, like those Russians did to your…"

Jovanni wrapped his arms around her tightly almost instantaneously, and even though he would not admit it, he felt as if he could burst into tears at any moment but he refused to do so. He had to keep up the facade that he was under control, so that no one would worry about him.

"Hey, don't think about stuff like that." Jovanni murmured, his amber orbs noticing that her fingernails had been digging into her palms. "And don't do that to your hands, either… I can't promise anything, but what I can promise is that I'll give that bastard a punch for every single person he killed. Can you trust me with that responsibility?"

"I don't have a choice when you put it like that, you jerk! But… I have a little request before you go." Joanne started, prompting Jovanni to raise an eyebrow in confusion. "Can we stay like this, for a few more minutes?"

Jovanni blushed lightly, but he nodded in response. "Of course, just for a few more minutes."

"Thank you."

* * *

Jovanni left ten minutes later and searched for Walker Porcelli, who had been sitting on the front steps of the old home.

Walker turned to Jovanni, his hands shoved in his pockets. "Hey, I've been wondering where you've been all day. Something wrong, man?"

"I'll keep it short and sweet since when I told Joanne, she freaked the fuck out." Jovanni stated rather bluntly, taking a deep breath before he started to explain. "Well, here's the deal…"

It only took Jovanni a minute or so to tell Walker the entirety of the situation, as well as the severity of the choice that had been set before him. Walker nodded as he explained, but he spoke not even a moment after his comrade had finished his explanation.

"Well, since you're not giving me a choice, then maybe I'll get a shot at the motherfucker if you bite the dust." Walker joked, but he continued. "But, you know… you can't just tell a rookie that you're going to fight a losing battle. You're not as confident as you usually are, either."

"Can you blame me? I feel like I'm walking into a death trap, which is exactly what this shit is. I only know how to be honest." Jovanni groaned, running his hands down his face. "Walker, you joined War Machine because you were sick of these assholes acting like they own the place, because they were stealing and murdering without anyone to stop them, right?"

"You're right, but what does that have to do with anything? You're not making any sense to me, Jovanni." Walker said with honesty, his head tilting slightly.

"That's why I joined. After my parents died, I didn't know what else to do with my life besides get rid of the fuckers that caused me so much pain." Jovanni started, his hands falling to his sides. "I guess I didn't realize it until now, but meeting people like you is what made me realize is that my problem is just a small bit of pain that Supernova threw this city into. At first, I just wanted revenge, but now I just want to stop these motherfuckers from killing anybody else."

"I've never heard you speak so eloquently." Walker taunted him, half-joking. "Well, you've taught me that nothing is impossible, since you pretty much survived being crucified. Hell, Abel has a fucking robot arm now. If that can happen, I'm sure that you can kick this guy's ass."

"You're starting to sound like me, rookie." Jovanni chuckled, opening the front door all the while. "I'll do my best, that's all I can really promise."

"Ha. At least you're honest."

* * *

Jovanni had managed to find both Abel November and Thomas Lowell in the family room, the two of them staring straight at him as if they had seen a ghost.

"Uh, are you guys okay?" Jovanni asked as he sat down onto a chair that was on the opposite side of the room, the two of them leaning back into the couch. "Guys?"

"We heard everything, Jovanni. You really like to talk loudly, huh?" Thomas admitted. "Do you really think you can handle Vladimir on your own? You told all of us what he's capable of."

"I'm not letting you guys come with me, okay? You'll die if you come with me, I don't trust him at all." Jovanni argued, his hands balling up into tight fists. "It's better if only one of us has to die!"

"What kind of friends would we be if we let you die alone?" November interjected, his voice stern. "You're the first person in years who even managed to inspire something in me, who managed to teach me what it means to have friends. I'm sure that if you didn't catch me at the Arrow, I would be drinking myself to death right now. So, hell no, we're coming along! You won't die as long as we're around, JoJo!"

"November speaks for me, too." Thomas said, his eyes locked onto Jovanni's. "We met at the fair, and we've been fighting together ever since. I know what you're fighting for, and you know what I'm fighting for. We're brothers in arms until the very end, so I'll be damned before I let you leave before you let us lend a hand when you need it the most."

Jovanni sighed deeply, his body shaking as he felt a lump form in his throat. Like hell he would let this get a rise out of him, but they were persistent. There was no way to shake them off or to convince them not to follow, they were in it until the very end just like they had promised.

"Okay… okay. There's no point in trying to convince you, so alright. Fine… but if you get yourselves killed, it's going to haunt me for the rest of my life." Jovanni stood up and walked over to his comrades, who only nodded understandingly. "You know that this is our final stand, right?"

"Right, but not even someone like him can stand in our way if we work together!" Thomas exclaimed enthusiastically, raising his fist up high. "We'll kick his ass and come back here after a job well done, guys!"

"Yeah, that asshole can't get away with what he's done any more. We won't let him manipulate anyone else!" November vowed, throwing his fist up into the air as well. "Ultimate defense or not, we'll find a way past his Stand's ability!"

"You guys are so optimistic, it hurts, but I have to agree with you!" Jovanni threw his fist up as well, all three of their fists touching now. "This is really fucking cheesy, but we'll make sure that Supernova never threatens this city ever again when they see their leader's body hanging from a rooftop!"

The trio cheered, soon waiting for the clock to strike nine before they would head out. Jovanni's plan was very simple but it could be seen as foolish: all three of them would meet in the hotel and attempt to wear him out, but they were almost completely sure that he would bring other Stand users to subdue them if they were too much for him to handle. However, all they could do from this point on was wait and see what would happen.

At exactly nine o'clock at night, the three had gathered outside and prepared to make their way towards the Monolith Hotel, which was only forty five minutes away. Thomas called his wife and told her that he would be late tonight because he wanted to work overtime, which she luckily believed.  
"Next time you see us will be in the next few hours, guys." Jovanni said as he watched Dalimil, Joanne, and Walker wave goodbye to the three volunteers. "If anything happens, just know that we tried our hardest to beat the asshole. You'll take care of this place for me, right?"

"Stop talking like that, you asshat!" Dalimil shouted in protest, a wet tear rolling down his face as he insulted the young man. "If you die, I'll kill you! So stop talking like this is the last time we'll ever see each other!"

Jovanni nodded, turning away as he felt a familiar wetness stain his cheeks. "Right! See you guys by morning, then!"

And so, Jovanni and his two comrades marched towards the Monolith Hotel, their handguns held tightly in their hands. The only thing that Jovanni could rely on now was the trust that his friends had handed over to him so casually, and he would try his hardest to prove that he was worthy of it.

The golden heart moved forward, towards his destiny.


	13. Gravesend

Jovanni Joestar stared at the abandoned Monolith Hotel, the blazing sun fading into the night while he felt a cool breeze brush past his face. A majority of the windows were covered with layers of dust, the parking lot completely empty which was to be expected, but Jovanni could not help but feel slightly unnerved by the sight of the building.

"It's like someone is staring at the back of my head, do you guys feel it, too?" Jovanni asked, his amber eyes shifting towards his two friends. "It's probably because of what happened here, but… I can't shake this feeling of restlessness."

"I feel it, but I don't think it matters now." Thomas said while he loaded his 625 revolver, his muscles tight and tense. "What about you, November? What do you think our chances of beating this guy are?"

"I'd say it's a one in a million chance. Are you sure that you really want to do this, Jovanni?" November asked his comrade, who nodded in response.

"If it's a one in a million, then there's still a chance of us winning… besides, we're already here, so we don't have any other choice than to head inside." Jovanni said as he sauntered towards the hotel, his Stand phasing beside his slender body.

The three gang members pushed their way through the front doors of the hotel, their hearts thumping wildly in their chests as they did so. A thick layer of dust covered a majority of the floor and the front desk, the inside of the hotel had been dead silent.

"Where do you think the asshole is?" Thomas asked aloud, instinctively diving once he and his comrades had heard a gunshot resound throughout the area. He managed to catch a glimpse of the bullet zooming past the shocked November, whose Stand had materialized in retaliation.

"WHO THE FUCK IS THE WISE GUY?!" November shouted, darting down the hallway after doing so. "I'll go take care of this asshole since Humiliation is more than capable of taking a few bullets! You guys should start looking for Vladimir!"

"Thomas, go after him so he doesn't get himself killed! I'm sure that Vladimir probably brought a few guys here so he would have an advantage!" Jovanni exclaimed, practically ordering his friend around. "The next time you see me, I'll have Vladimir's corpse in front of my feet!"

"Right, I'll see you then!" Thomas gave him a quick nod before darting towards November, who had already disappeared from his gaze. "I'm coming to help!"

Jovanni attempted to make a move towards the front desk, though his amber eyes wandered towards the ceiling panels above him which had been shaking violently – he gasped as he watched it fall, his body jumping back as Future Heart held up its arms to potentially defend its user.

He lowered his guard to see Vladimir Arkadi standing in front of him, his own Stand beside him as he crossed his arms once he finished dusting himself off. His gaze met with Jovanni's shocked look, an amused chuckle escaping his lips which curved upward into a grin.

"You were hiding inside the fucking vents?!" Jovanni yelled though he kept his distance despite how badly he wished to run forward and pound Vladimir's face in. "You're a sneaky bastard, I'll give you that, but you're a fucking coward! You have other men here besides you?!"

"I assumed you would bring your friends, and I was right." Vladimir told him flatly, taking two steps forward. "They'll be busy fighting the two Stand users I brought with me, so we can fight without any interruptions."

"It's not much of a fight if I can't hit you. I can't even figure out what kind of weakness that your Stand would have!" Jovanni shouted, admitting his fear to Vladimir who only laughed. "What the hell are you laughing about, how easy it's gonna be to kill me?"

"You really don't get it? You earned my respect after you managed to survive everything I've thrown at you, which is nothing to laugh at." Vladimir said, his expression switching from jovial to dead serious. "So, because of that, I'll let you have a fair fight against me because of the determination that you've shown to me."

"You're fucking crazy if you think I'm actually going to believe that!" Jovanni protested. "I'm not going to give you an easy win!"

"If you won't take my word for it, I'll make you believe me!" Vladimir charged towards Jovanni, his Black Swan's fist swinging towards Future Heart's chin. "But even if you fight back, just know this! ALL OF YOUR EFFORTS TO BEAT ME ARE USELESS, USELESS, USELESS!"

 _I have no choice!_ Jovanni thought to himself as Future Heart made a swift duck to avoid the first blow, its fist colliding against Black Swan's abdomen almost hesitantly – but it didn't felt like it had connected when the blow had landed. It had felt as if there had been an invisible wall around its abdomen, which only added to Jovanni's fear.

"THAT ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH, JOVANNI JOESTAR!" Vladimir shouted as Black Swan grabbed Future Heart's extended arm tightly, tossing the Stand towards the wooden desk which, by proxy, had caused Jovanni to crash into it as well, the front of the desk shattering upon impact. "Don't tell me that that's the best you got!"

 _I'm going to have to hit him hard and fast if I want a chance at even phasing him… I wonder if a fall from the roof of this building could kill him? I have no choice but to try to get to the roof, then!_ Jovanni thought to himself as he pulled his body away from the broken desk, grunting as he haphazardly rose his Stand's arms once he saw that Vladimir had made a second mad dash towards him.

"ORO!" Future Heart cried as it slammed its fist against Black Swan's impending punch, its knuckles struggling against the similar invisible shield that seemed to be locked around it. "OROOOO!"

"For what my Black Swan lacks in durability, it has in power, speed, and precision! I'm able to place defensive shields on any part of its body so it won't shatter in a single blow!" Vladimir exclaimed, laughing for a moment until he felt his Stand's fist slip slightly to the left. "Huh?!"

"So in the end, your Stand is still just a glass cannon!" Jovanni shouted as Future Heart landed a second punch on the fist that slipped, three of its knuckles cracking from the blow which had forced Vladimir to shriek out in pain.

Vladimir grunted as he watched blood seep out of his knuckles, glaring straight ahead at Jovanni who had started to run towards the steel door towards the corner of the lobby. He clenched his fist and started to run towards him after he kicked the door down with the help of his Stand.

"WHERE THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?!"

* * *

Thomas darted down the hallway of the hotel after climbing to the fifth floor, having lost his comrade as he traversed it. He stopped after hearing glass shatter on the hard floor to his left, but when he turned he only saw a door to one of the dozens of rooms.

He held The Commanded tightly in his grip, his free hand pushing the door open – the hotel room seemed rather ordinary aside from the shattered window at the very end of the room. The bed was tidy and dusty as well as the furniture, though the man stepped forward to investigate the shattered window.

He studied the break, noticing that the glass had fallen out on the carpet of the hotel room. Thomas felt his muscles twitch once a sharp pain resonated through his body, causing him to whip around and grab what had been digging into his shoulder.

Thomas yanked onto the blade and pulled it out from his body, blood leaking down his shirt as he shoved away the would-be assailant – the man in front of him had only been four or so inches shorter than him, his face and his body chubby, the latter strangely sweaty. He had curly black hair that would rest on his shoulders, his body clothed with a white muscle shirt and a pair of loose sweatpants. However, the sight of a kitchen knife being attached to his arm instead of his hand was rather jarring for Thomas to look at.

"MOTHERFUCKER!" Thomas yelled and pulled the trigger on his 625 revolver, his bullet coated in a bright green aura as it lodged itself into the man's leg. "You fucking piece of shit, where the hell did you come from?!"

"If you saw that glass on the floor and couldn't put it together, you really are a dumb fuck!" The attacker insulted him, yelling in anguish as the bullet flew back into Thomas's revolver. "Why don't you take a fucking guess on how I got behind you, dipshit?"

"You were probably waiting outside so you could sneak attack me, so you probably broke the window with that fucking freaky hand of yours on accident and hid before I could find you, so I could throw you off the side! That's probably right, isn't it?" Thomas assumed, though he did not receive anything but silent – which was the only answer he needed. "I'm also gonna assume that the reason your hand is a knife is because of some shitty Stand ability."

"Alright, I get it smart ass, you're good at assuming obvious shit." He rolled his eyes, pulling the knife off from his arm as his left hand suddenly phased back into place. "My name is Roland, and my Stand, Nylon, has the ability lets me replace my body parts with any object that's inside my range. What, can yours just get your bullets back?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Thomas grinned as the wound on his shoulder slowly closed, readying to fire another bullet at Roland. "Good luck trying to catch me off guard with that… it's probably a good idea for you to stand down and get the fuck out of my way as fast as you can manage, you got that?"

"Yeah, that ain't gonna happen!" Roland yelled as he charged towards Thomas, his right fist swinging towards his chin – though his eyes widened with fear once Thomas grabbed his fist, pulling him forward. "What the hell?!"

"I'm a trained soldier, what the hell are you, just some punk?!" Thomas yelled as he delivered a swift punch to Roland's nose, shoving him towards the bed after doing so. "Get the fuck out of here before I have to beat the ever loving shit out of you!"

Roland managed to place himself on the mattress that was only a few inches away from Thomas, a smirk crossing his face as it started to phase into where his feet once were. Without a moment more, he leaped towards Thomas with the mattress up in the air which slowly came down to attempt and knock him out of the window.

Thomas grunted and placed each of his hands on both ends of the mattress, his back pushing against the shattered window, some of the loose shards slowly digging into his back as he struggled to force Roland back.

He gripped onto his revolver tightly and pulled the trigger twice, panting heavily as he felt Roland's body fall off of his own and onto the floor below. Thomas watched as Roland's feet turned back to normal, his eyes traveling to the neck wounds that his bullets had caused, the lead soon returning to his revolver.

"Fucking hell, that piece of shit…" Thomas panted, wiping the sweat off his brow as he kicked Roland's body to the side. "If I didn't shoot, I'd probably be dead right now."

He walked towards the door, his heart beat slowly calming as he turned the doorknob – all that he could do now was to try and find November somewhere within the Monolith Hotel.

* * *

Abel November hit the floor for what seemed like the ninth time, his eyes barely managing to track the bullet that had been fired towards him, but then disappeared into thin air – on the other side of the hallway was a man – named Vassiley – that had been shooting towards him for nearly a minute, his face only filled with apathy.

He stood at November's approximate height, his bright brown hair slicked back. He wore a stiff black jacket that spread below his knees, only a small bit of his firm blue jeans seen above his light brown boots – though, there seemed to be several indistinguishable tattoos on his neck.

However, November's problem was not that the man was shooting at him – it was that when he fired, the bullet would disappear into thin air and reappear somewhere else. His Stand had managed to protect him a few times, but he had suffered a gunshot wound to his left leg and one to his right hand.

Humiliation curled up into a ball as November darted towards the emotionless man, who merely watched as the bullet appeared in front of his enemy – November gasped as he felt the hot lead pierce the skin on his left left.

"Fight me like a man, you coward!" November shouted as he limped towards the man, who only aimed in response. "You're really boring, you know that?"

"You sound like the pot calling the kettle black." He replied, focusing his aim between November's eyes this time around. "Why would I fight fairly? It's easier to pick you off so my job here will be done – you haven't even figured out how my Stand, Otep, works. You clearly aren't worth my time."

November grunted as he limped towards his adversary who then fired his fourth shot, the bullet disappearing – he stopped. November only stopped and allowed his Stand to unravel, its arms centering around its user, so sure that he was going in for the kill this time around.

The bullet phased into existence and had been several feet away from November, his Stand quickly placing its torso over his head before the lead managed to embed itself inside of his skull – it grunted and screamed from the burning, though it tossed the bullet back towards his trigger finger with the force of its gullet.

"Fuck!" Vassiley cried as the bullet collided with his finger, his pistol falling out of his iron grip – he turned to see November dashing towards him, his hand outstretched. "NO!"

"There's nothing to understand about your ability when all you can do is teleport your bullets at a certain range!" November shouted as he grabbed a fistful of Vassiley's hair, slamming his head against the wall at the end of the hallway. "I'm going to beat you to death, so hold fucking still!"

November's fists pummeled against Vassiley's head repeatedly, his hands soon soaked with blood as he beat them against his bloodied nose – he stomped on the back of his head once or twice before he moved his hands to his neck, an audible snap echoing throughout the empty hallway.

"Goddamn bastard."

* * *

Jovanni Joestar darted up the metal staircase, cringing every time the step behind him crunched under the weight of Black Swan's heavy kicks – Vladimir Arkadi had been following him rather easily, quickly and easily catching up to him over time.

He eventually had to jump once he heard Vladimir grunt, his amber eyes able to catch two nails shooting out from Black Swan's knuckles, which only landed on the steel panels that led Jovanni to the next set of stairs. He couldn't be that far away from the roof, could he?

"You won't get away from me, Jovanni Joestar!" Vladimir shouted as he dashed forward, his Stand's fist rocketing and slamming into his gut, the force of it tossing him off the side of the stairwell.

"Future Heart!" Jovanni yelled and extended his left hand towards the next staircase, his own Stand managing to catch the edge of the railing – he grunted and pulled himself up onto it, holding his gut as he continued to run. "He hits like a fucking truck… holy shit…"

Jovanni felt as if he was going to vomit as he rushed up the staircase, his amber eyes wide with hope once they managed to spot the door to the roof. Adrenaline pumped through his body as he readied his Stand's fist, the collision forcing the door off of its hinges and onto the top of the roof.

Vladimir jumped out onto the roof, his deep hazel eyes connecting with Jovanni's amber eyes. The latter felt as if he had been frozen in time as his enemy lifted up his knuckles, so he raised his hands respectively.

A flurry of nails and bullets collided with one another, each of them barely landing any hits aside from a few hard blows – Jovanni felt a nail cut the left side of his face and a second one embedded itself into his right shoulder.

Vladimir grunted as a stray bullet struck the side of his body, though he felt relieved as the commotion died down and the rooftop was a mess of their respective ammo. He stepped forward, kicking the nails and bullets away as he did so.

"You're bleeding. I bet that hurts, doesn't it?" Vladimir chuckled as blood seeped out of Jovanni's fresh wounds, suddenly darting to the left and then towards his opponent. "THEN YOU WON'T LIKE THIS, THEN!"

Future Heart fired several bullets towards Black Swan, who merely deflected every piece of lead that attempted to strike it – Jovanni's Stand ducked as the first blow came as fast as a whirlwind, though the second met with the side of its face.

"FUCK!" Jovanni groaned loudly, falling flat on his back as he felt the urge to vomit once more – there was no way around it, Black Swan outclassed his Stand in every way. "Goddamn it, this isn't how I'm going to die…"

"Then how were you going to die? Tell me!" Vladimir's lips curled into a sinister grin, his foot pressing down hard on Jovanni's exposed gut. "Did you really think you would die beside your friends, when you do something as fucking stupid as this? You should have known that you would die under a superior man's foot when you first started to fight against Supernova! Nothing matters in this world except money, power, and fame, but you chose to ignore that and try to fill your life with meaningless bullshit like the friendship and the so-called love you get from your pathetic friends!"

"Your morals really are fucked beyond repair!" Jovanni shouted as Future Heart grabbed ahold of Vladimir's foot and tossed him off of its user, its tightened fist crashing against the right side of his face. "I couldn't give a single solitary shit about what you think if I tried, so just shut the fuck up and fight like a man!"

Vladimir Arkadi grabbed Jovanni Joestar by his shirt collar, pulling him forward as he clenched his teeth – without so much as a response, his fist met with Jovanni's chin, and then his gut. He was completely prepared to beat this brat into complete submission.

"Heh, got you." Jovanni grinned, staring towards Vladimir who had merely raised an eyebrow in response. "Guess what, asshole? You're within perfect punching range!"

Vladimir's deep hazel eyes widened in fear as Jovanni's Future Heart tossed its fists towards his unprotected body. He only managed to scream one more thing as he felt the impending pain approach his muscular frame.

"JOVANNI JOESTAR, YOU FUCKING SCUM!"

"ORORORORORORORORORO!"

Before Vladimir could summon his Stand once more, Future Heart's left hand wrapped around his neck tightly as its free fist repeatedly collided with his torso, blood spilling out from his mouth as a searing pain made itself known to his insides.  
His fist almost became invisible to the naked eye as it repeated the same motion, blow for blow, even when it started to meet with the notorious mafia leader's head – the hand around his neck tightened as the curled up fist practically disfigured his head, teeth falling out from his mouth as he fell unconcious.

"ORO!" Future Heart screamed as it threw Vladimir into the air – and it waited for his body to come back down, as well. Its fist whizzed into his gut, sending him off of the edge of the building and onto the concrete below.

Jovanni stumbled backwards, his body falling flat onto the roof as he panted heavily. His wounds were stinging, but he ignored that for the time being – he coughed as he stared into the sky, his eyes soon shutting before he took a breath.

"It's about damn time…"

 _ **Vladimir Arkadi, the Untouchable Man… dead.  
Black Swan… utterly defeated.**_

* * *

In the passing days after Vladimir Arkadi's defeat, the three had managed to place his body in the middle of the city so that reports would come in about his defeat – a week had passed, and even though the police officers were not satisfied with how he was dealt with, as Parker had asked them to do it for him, the result remained the same.

Supernova had not made a single move. They had not been seen in the streets, which was a welcome sight to Jovanni Joestar and his friends. They had assumed that they were scared of the one who had defeated the so-called Untouchable Man, whose folly had been that he respected his enemy far too much to not fight fairly.

They had decided to stay in Jovanni's old home, which he had grown accustomed to. However, one question remained to the six of them – what would happen to War Machine now that Supernova had been put down for good?

* * *

Dalimil Klement had ordered pizza for the group, each of them having a good time celebrating the events that had transpired a week prior. However, before they opened up the alcohol, Dalimil had wanted to make an announcement.

"I'll keep this short and sweet since you shitheads can't even pay attention for more than five minutes!" Dalimil laughed as he joked, though he sighed afterward. "We've all thought of this, I'm sure, but, I think… now that this is all over, War Machine doesn't exist any more."

"Huh? Why?!" Jovanni asked, clearly upset over the older man's decision. "Don't you think that we could do some more good out there, though?"

"If we see it, yeah, but if you haven't noticed… crime hasn't really been as rampant since you put down Vladimir." Dalimil explained. "Sit down, boy. It's about time you learn how to relax, so, here's to the rest of our lives!"

"But, what about…" Jovanni trailed off as he felt a hand rest on his shoulder, prompting him to turn around to see a smiling November. "Huh?"

"JoJo, calm down. I'm with you… we're all with you, 'til the end of the line." November's smile grew into a wide grin. "This doesn't mean we have to stop, but it means that, maybe, we can live normal lives now. It's about damn time, don't you think?"

"I, but… okay. I don't like it, but it's not my choice." Jovanni nodded, pulling a bottle out of the case as he bent downward. "At least the cops will be satisfied."

"You got that right!" Joanne grinned and pulled out a bottle as well, holding it out as the others pulled one out as well. "Here's to being free of this bullshit!"

"Yeah, now I can stop hiding this shit from my wife." Thomas sighed, relieved as he held out his bottle as well. "I'll make sure not to get drunk off my ass this time, too."

"You guys are the best." Walker added with a genuine, bright smile as he held out his own bottle to the others as well. "Gabriel might be gone, but we can keep him in our memory."

"The same can be said for Parker." Jovanni said a bit sadly. "He gave his life to stop Vladimir from killing anyone else, so he should be remembered, too. Atriark, too, for helping us find you. Here's to all of us and the friends we lost!"

"Again, I'm with you all, 'til the end of the line." November gave the group a thumbs up, moving his hand forward as well.

"You kids have grown like weeds, and I'll only say this once." Dalimil started, pulling out a cold bottle as well. "I'm damn proud of you all, never forget that."

The group knocked their bottles together and continued to enjoy themselves, each of them deciding to simply relax for the evening – however, when Jovanni stepped outside to get some fresh air, Dalimil had followed him outside.

"What do you want, old man?" Jovanni asked, his hands shoved in his pockets while his amber eyes studied his elder. "Is your tolerance not as high as it used to be?"

"Still higher than yours!" Dalimil joked, leaning against the house as he only smiled. "When you told me how the fight went down… I didn't expect that out of a shithead like him. I didn't think a man like that was capable of respect."

"Yeah, me too, but I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth." Jovanni commented, stretching as a cool, comfortable breeze brushed against his body. "Did you… did you really mean it when you said you were proud of us? I've never known you to be soft, old man."

"Shut your mouth, so what if I meant it?" Dalimil grinned, ruffling Jovanni's hair. "You grew into a fine young man, Jovanni. Your parents would be damn proud of the man you've become."

Jovanni felt a lump form in his throat, though this time he did not refuse what was coming – wet, welcomed tears streamed down his face at what Dalimil had told him.

"Fuck, I shouldn't be crying!" Jovanni laughed, wiping his sleeve across his eyes before looking towards the old man. "You did a damn good job of raising me, Dalimil. You're like a dad to me."

"You're gonna make me cry too, you asshole!" Dalimil half-joked, but, truth be told, he felt as if he was going to burst into tears as well. "Dumbass!"

"Ha, sorry!" Jovanni wiped his eyes once more, sighing before he turned to the front door. "I'm gonna head back in and eat a few more slices. Come on, old man."

"I'm coming!"

* * *

Thomas Lowell had went home early to his wife, knocking on the door a few times until he saw her tired eyes staring up at him – she instantly yanked at his hands, pulling him inside.

"You had me so worried! Did they keep you all day again?!" Alice asked, pulling at him incessantly even once the door behind them had shut. "You have to do something about this!"

Thomas only embraced his wife, holding her close to him as he nodded in response. "Don't worry, I quit. I'm going to find a new job so I can spend more time with you and our little girl."

He could hear his wife instantly sob, which then transformed into a loud cry. He held her tightly throughout all of this, determined to be there for his wife when she had needed him the most.

* * *

The next night, Abel November traversed the streets of Miami, though he soon placed his back against the brick wall of The Arrow but did not dare go inside.

November stared at the photo of Lily that he had taken out of his pocket, tucking it back into his jacket pocket as he merely smiled sadly. He knew it for sure now, that there was no Stand user alive that was capable of bringing her back.

And he was okay with that – after all, flowers are beautiful because they wither. Life would hold no value if it lasted for eternity, or at least, that's how he saw it.

It was time to begin anew.

* * *

Joanne Sybella's gloved hands reached down into the sands of the beach, tossing several empty syringes and broken glass into the trash bag she had by her side. She was voluntarily working to help clean up the city of what disease Supernova had left in its wake, and she was determined to clean up the city for good.

She would make damn sure that no one would ever have to suffer through what she had to as a child ever again, no matter what it would take.

Dalimil Klement had decided to work as a cashier at a less well-known grocery store, determined to make sure that he could at least attempt to brighten and enrich the lives of others during his remaining years.

And he would not have it any other way.

* * *

Walker Porcelli had decided to live with Jovanni while he attended classes at a local university, though he was still unsure of what he wanted to do in life. Maybe he would not find his purpose there, but he would leave no stone unturned in his search.

* * *

Jovanni Joestar had worked as a garbageman for the following months, however, he eventually moved out of Miami and decided to become a police officer someplace else. Perhaps Parker was right, and his sense of justice was skewed from the very beginning but he would not bet on it.

As far as he was concerned, the summer of 1989 was a story that taught him about respect. Respect for his friends, respect for strangers, and respect for his enemies. Jovanni would work alongside the police while he brought people to justice, which is all he really desired in life.

He fulfilled the legacy that inherited his blood, and he had taken another step towards becoming what he had wished to become from the very beginning.

A good man.

* * *

 _ **The End.**_

* * *

 **My god… I didn't think this story would end so fast, but thank you to all my friends for the support and to everyone who read until the very end! This story was stressful to write at points, but unlike White Noise, I was writing by the seat of my pants this time around.**

 **This concludes A Good Man's Gospel, but, the next JoJo story will be uploaded on March 21st.**

 **I hope that if you liked this story, you will enjoy the next one just as much if not more. I will upload the Stand sheets at another time, later this month.**

 **Thank you so, so much for reading! It means the world to me that I'm able to do what I love without being restrained, and I believe I've improved with every chapter I've uploaded to this website.**

 **Until next time!**

 **\- Jawsh Gray.**


End file.
